Twilight - Ultimate Fanfic Adventure
by Fakin'it
Summary: A Twi-fan finds herself in the Twilight universe in the body of Bella Swan. Major Whitlock, Volturi undercover agent, pretends to be Alice's mate to protect the Cullens & prevent her & James from taking over the world. He doesn't know what to do when his real human mate who just 'knows s**t' like Peter drops into the final stages of his 50 yr sting operation, risking everything.
1. Prologue

*********This was originally written as a second person point of view story, but this website has changed the guidelines to forbid that type of story, so I am changing it to first person point of view. Otherwise it is the same story. *********

**Disclaimer:** This goes for this entire story. Stephenie Meyer owns the entire Twilight saga, and I am simply playing with her characters. I am doing this to satisfy my own imagination, for my own enjoyment, and am not receiving compensation for any of this.

**Rating Warning:** This is an M rated fiction, which means 18 and older. It will include violence, curse words, and probably sexual relations between characters. If a parent still sets your bedtime, you're definitely too young to be reading this.

**xxxxxxx**

**Prologue**

_(The small amount of gore in this chapter, describing an accident scene is the worst I will see in this story, as I'm not fond of gory descriptions.)_

I listen happily as my favorite song plays in my headphones, my eyes on the lame movie being played on the monitor above me, though I'm not really watching it. Instead, I'm remembering the radio contest I heard on the loudspeakers at the grocery store. It wasn't a station I knew or would normally listen to, but I just happened to know the right answer to their trivia question and called in on a whim. To my delighted shock and surprise, my call went through, and I actually won the grand prize.

The prize was an all expenses paid vacation for me and my entire family. It had taken some finagling to work out everybody's schedules, but now everyone I love is on this luxury shuttle bus, traveling to the host resort. I'm keeping my eyes pointed at the little TV screen, because the view out the window of this winding road through the mountains was making me nervous. The bus seemed to be hugging the guard rail, much closer to the drop off of hundreds of feet straight down than I'd like.

The blaring of a loud horn alerts me to lean into the aisle and look through the front windshield. To my dismay, I notice an eighteen wheeler careening wildly down the mountain toward the bus. The driver is beeping the horn in a series of long and short blasts, making me wonder if he is attempting to sound out a distress signal in Morse code. That isn't really important, and I easily dismiss the question as soon as I realize he is traveling mainly in the center of the lane, seemingly out of control and unable to reduce his speed.

The bus driver begins swearing, sweating, and blasting the bus's horn, as if that might help somehow. At least he is also slowing down, his eyes looking for the widest point of the road in hopes of avoiding a collision. Others on the bus have also caught onto the problem, and screams are mixed with shouts of advice and desperately murmured prayers.

The truck driver tries his best to stay on his side of the road to prevent the imminent catastrophe, while the bus driver is scraping the guard rail, as far over in his lane as he can get. The bus has slowed to nearly a standstill, but the truck is definitely without functioning brakes and keeps picking up speed. Peering into the cab of the truck as it approaches, I can see the terror on the driver's wide-eyed face and the white of his tightly clenched knuckles on the steering wheel.

There is a cheer from some of the passengers as the cab of the truck slips past the front of the bus without touching, but alas, the rear of the truck is unable to make the turn and drifts over into the oncoming lane. The panicked bus driver puts the bus into reverse and guns the engine, desperately trying to get the bus out of the way, so it won't take the full brunt of the impact. His idea might have worked, if he'd thought of it sooner, but his reaction time simply isn't fast enough. The last ten feet of the truck slam into the bus's front at an angle, shoving the bus right up, over, and through the guard rail. For a second, everyone on the bus freezes, not even daring to breathe, as the bus teeters on the edge. Time seems to slow down as the adrenalin increases my perception and ability to gather and process information. Then the bus is falling, whistling through the air, plummeting toward the rocks below.

_I'm too young to die! I still have so much left to see and do_, I think to myself, though part of me knows I would think that even if I were twenty or thirty years older than I am now. My mind gives out before the big crash, and I thankfully lose consciousness, narrowly avoiding experiencing the most painful part.

All too soon, I become aware I'm hovering over the smashed and burning remnants of the bus, seeing the horrifying reality of the near instantaneous death of all my loved ones. Hearing retching sounds, I look up to see the driver of the eighteen wheeler off to the side of the road, puking his guts out behind his front tire. The large truck had flipped over multiple times, rolling and sliding partway down the mountain along the roadway, before friction had done the job the damaged brakes had been unable to do. A full third of the truck's smashed rear end hangs over the precipice, but enough remains on the road's surface to keep it from going over the edge. my attention returns to the chaotic mess below me as I hear the truck driver shakily calling the authorities.

The scene below is so horrendous, my brain doesn't want to make sense of it at first. I begin picking out the familiar faces of my loved ones, distinguishing them from the others who'd been traveling to the resort on vacations of their own. I feel something similar to nausea as I spy the tiny broken bodies of the children on board, twisted in unnatural positions, dripping with blood, and impaled by glass, metal, and plastic. The seat belts and booster seats had been unable to protect them from the massive force of impact and the resultant destruction.

The seat belts hadn't been any more effective in saving the adults who had chosen to wear them. Those who hadn't bothered to put on their seat belts were tangled up with those who had. Various severed body parts are scattered throughout, and the blood of many has painted the entire scene red. In fact, there is so much red, it's impossible to distinguish skin color or eye color on most of the bodies in the fading light. So many of the faces wear nearly identical expressions, eyes wide open, staring blankly in horror, and mouths locked open in silent screams.

After identifying the person most special to me out of all the others, the last of my group, my eyes shift to the area of the bus where my seat had been. Casting my sickened, grieving gaze around unseeingly for a few moments, my brain struggles to come to terms with the bloody mess in front of me. Finally, unwillingly, it dawns on me. It _is_ me, what's left of me. That bloody pile of pulp is _my_ body, mangled nearly beyond recognition, tangled up in the wreckage.

The disturbing odor of burning flesh and hair suddenly hits me, as the bus bursts into flame, a fiery ball of death exploding in the night, cooking the human remains, as if to permanently seal the deal. All hope of rescue, of recovery, is now lost, not that I'd really been harboring any hope anyway.

The string tying my spirit to my body suddenly snaps, like a taut rubber band being released on one side, recoiling and casting me backward. I feel a strange tug from behind me, that steadily increases in intensity until it feels like a really powerful vacuum cleaner is sucking me up into it. I look fearfully over my shoulder and gasp when I spy a small black hole. The suction is coming from the hole, and no matter how hard I struggle, I can't fight the pull. It drags me backward, slowly at first and then faster and faster. Scared of the unknown and worried about how I will fit through such a tiny hole, I realize I'm about to answer the age old question of what awaits 'on the other side' after death.

Before I have time to unleash my imagination, time has run out for me. I'm right in front of the hole with no way to stop my progression. I feel myself folding up and stretching out as the darkness swallows me. I feel like I'm being sucked through a straw, inside out and upside down. I barely have time to register surprise that my new form actually fit through such a tiny hole before I feel myself racing faster and faster through the tube, accelerating rapidly, until I feel like my skin will peel away at the current speed. Suddenly I'm thrust out into an open area, shooting out like a spit ball from a straw, flying through the inky blackness without restraint. My body seems to expand, stretching out of proportion, bouncing off invisible barriers that contain it, even as I flow and bend, filling every crevice, nook, and cranny of this new space. Confused and exhausted by the journey, my thoughts fade into nothingness, followed eventually by dreams of happier times spent with my loved ones, the ones who no longer exist outside of my memories. Thus begins my process of grieving the life I have known and the people I have loved.

Though I do not yet realize it, my spirit now inhabits a new body in a new universe. A universe well known to me, despite never having lived there before. It is a universe of possibilities, where the supernatural are more than just a figment of an overactive imagination. It is a universe where secrets are prevalent, soul mates abound, death is always imminent, and love is eternal.


	2. I'm Bella Swan?

**AN:** This was originally written in second person point of view, but this website has changed the guidelines to prohibit stories of that type, so I'm changing this to first person point of view. Otherwise it is the same story as before. Thanks!

**Chapter 1 - I'm Bella Swan?**

I've slowly begun to heal, existing outside of time, while floating in the darkness, dreaming of my loved ones and cycling through the stages of grief more than once. Unfortunately, as I move into the acceptance phase once again, I remember the horrifying scene of the crash, and I let out a bloodcurdling scream of pure anguish, feeling the pain and loss all over again.

I feel my body lurch forward and to the right, before something abruptly stops my forward momentum, but not stopping the movement to the right, allowing my head to knock painfully against something cold and hard. My ears are still ringing from the volume of my scream, though I can hear some kind of static in the background, along with the hum of a motor, the swish of windshield wipers, the whooshing of vents blowing air, and the drumming of heavy rain beating against metal and glass.

Someone is talking, but I'm tuning him out as I gather the courage to open my eyes and face the cold, harsh reality of life all alone. Part of my mind is wondering how I survived the crash, because I can feel my racing heart and panicked breathing informing me that I am indeed still alive.

"Open my eyes!" a concerned male voice commands, and I reluctantly obey. I wince as the light pierces my retinas, though the overcast sky is blocking most of the sunlight, and blink a few times to allow my eyes to adjust.

I realize I am in the front passenger seat of a police car, with an officer observing me with caring concern. My mind is still hazy and disoriented, and I start sobbing, believing the authorities have finally arrived to the accident site. Some part of me is wondering why I'm not in pain, but the memory of my loss is too fresh to give that thought the weight it deserves.

"Bella!" the officer calls, and I ignore him, thinking he must be talking on the phone or radio.

"Bella, honey, it was just a dream!" the man insists, moving his hand to my shoulder and giving it a little shake.

"Just a dream?" I whisper, clinging to the hope it was all just a nightmare of epic proportions, though I'm not sure why I'm in a strange policeman's car if that's the case.

"Yes, just a nightmare," the officer agrees, his voice full of relief. "It must have been a doozy."

I look around the cab of the patrol car in confusion as I nod and murmur, "Horrifying. The bus crashed and everyone died. There was blood everywhere."

"Bus, huh? Well, you won't have to worry about riding the bus. I, uh, found a good car for you, really cheap," he replied.

"A car?" I ask in confusion, wondering why a police officer would be finding a car for me. I remember that a rental car was included in the vacation and figure he must be referring to that.

"Well, it's a truck, actually. A Chevy," he added, pulling back onto the road from the shoulder.

"Oh. Okay," I mumble, looking at the large evergreen trees lining the roadway.

"I'm glad you're awake now. You scared me half to death," he admitted with a dry chuckle. "It sounded like you were being attacked or something!"

While gazing at the scenery, trying to gather my thoughts, I suddenly catch a glimpse of my reflection in the side view mirror. At first I'm just confused, as I lean forward to look at the stranger's face, but as the reflection moves accordingly, I realize the stranger is _me_.

Quickly, I wink, scowl, bare my teeth, and touch my nose. There is no denying what my eyes are telling me. The face and body I don't recognize, with the pale skin, brown hair, and brown eyes, looking back at me in the mirror, is mine. My mind flashes to different movies I've seen of people switching bodies and guess something like that must be happening now, though I have no idea how or why. My sense of logic and reasoning rebels, suggesting instead that this is really just a strange dream, an oddly realistic one, my mind has conjured up to protect me from the reality of the bus crash.

I try to take a closer look at my new self, without alerting the officer next to me, not wanting to spend time having my mental health examined and evaluated, even if it is just a dream. A contented sound from the man beside me alerts me to a big brown sign on the side of the road: 'The City of Forks Welcomes You'

I gasp in shock, the name of the location reverberating through my mind. _Forks?_

My head snaps around allowing me to examine the policeman beside me. I notice his brown curly hair, brown eyes, and mustache. He turns to look at me briefly, surprised by my intense scrutiny.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" he asks, shifting uncomfortably at the sudden attention.

Leaning slightly forward, I peer over at the name sewn into the pocket of his uniform. Swan. My eyes widen and my gaze dances up to his briefly before darting back over and landing on a handbag on the floor by my feet.

"Bella?" he questions hesitantly, clearing his throat, as I lunge for the bag and tear it open in my lap, digging through it as if my life depended on it.

I realize I'm acting like a crazy person, but I'm desperate to confirm the suspicion blaring in my brain. Finding the wallet, I rip it open, my eyes greedily examining the Arizona Driver's License in the clear pocket. There it is in black and white: Isabella Marie Swan DOB 09/13/1987

_I'm Bella Swan? _I think, gazing down at the ID in awe._ I'm Bella Fucking Swan! _

My inner fan squeals with glee._ If this is a dream, I'm going to make the most of it,_ I decide, grinning over at a worried Charlie.

"Sorry, Charlie, I thought I was going to sneeze," I fib, hoping I can pull off a verbal subterfuge better than the real Bella.

The statement works to distract him from my odd behavior, but not for the reason I expected. He sighed heavily and requested, "Bella, I realize you are nearly grown now, but I would still appreciate it if you would call me Dad. Forks is a lot more old fashioned than Phoenix, and a lot of people here would be offended to hear my own daughter address me by my first name. Not only is it blatantly disrespectful, but it's as if you're ashamed to be related to me."

"Sorry, Dad," I apologize. "It was just a slip of the tongue."

He nods in acceptance and neither of us bother to speak for the rest of the short journey to Charlie's house.


	3. Making Plans

**AN:** I'm going with current technology rather than trying to figure out what was or wasn't available back in 2005.

**Chapter 2 Making Plans**

Taking a look at the old computer on the desk in your new room, you grimace and remember that Bella had a dial-up connection. There is no way you'll be happy with that.

_I could probably fold a whole load of laundry while waiting for a website to load at that speed_, you think, frowning in exasperation.

Leaving your stuff to unpack later, you hurry downstairs to the kitchen, looking for a phone book.

"Hey, uh, Dad? Where's the phone book?" you ask.

"Second drawer on the right," he calls back from the other room, where he is comfortably ensconced in his easy chair in front of the television, watching some sports program.

You open the drawer and pull out the phone. You snicker when you realize though it's about the size of the hardback edition of Twilight, it has half as many pages, and that's including both the white pages _and _the yellow pages. Looking up internet service providers, you see Crescomm Wifi offers broadband. Writing down their number, you vow to contact them as soon as possible tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, you decide you won't be needing your college fund after all, since you're not too proud to accept gifts from the Cullens, so you plan to put Bella's hard earned money to good use before your critical first day of school tomorrow.

"Hey, I still need a few things for school, so I'm going to run out and go shopping now, okay?" you announce to Charlie, trying to be respectful by letting him know you're leaving.

"Shopping? You should have told me before. We could have taken care of that in Port Angeles," Charlie replies, getting up out of his chair and joining you in the entryway.

"Sorry, I didn't think of it before now," you admit.

He frowns and rubs the back of his neck, then smooths his mustache. "How important is it? Can it wait until tomorrow?" he queries. "I mean, most of the stores in town are closed on Sundays, and those that _are_ open usually close early."

"It's really important," you insist. Seeing him opening his mouth to question you further, you remember his weakness and quickly add, "It's girl stuff. I definitely can't go to school without it, so the only way it can wait until tomorrow, is if I take an extra day to get settled and don't start school until Tuesday."

He raises his eyebrows speculatively. "That would be fine with me, you know that. It was _your_ idea to jump right into school tomorrow morning, not mine."

_Likely Bella just wanted to get it over with so she had less time to dwell on it_, you think. Smiling and turning on the charm, you reply, "Well, it looks like your wisdom prevails, Dad. You were right. I really do need a day to get my bearings, get organized, and make sure I've got everything I need to make a good impression."

His lips twitch in response. "You can lay off the shovel there, Bella. I listen to bull every day for a living, remember? Your old man has heard every excuse and seen every trick in the book, so don't bother trying to sneak anything past me, alright?"

"Sure thing, Dad," you agree with a grin, enjoying the irony of his request, knowing you fully intend to soon be sneaking a vampire into your bedroom every night. "Or should I say Chief?"

He rolls his eyes, but still chuckles a little as he turns to go back to his chair.

Thinking about the things you want to make your life more pleasant, like a laptop, an ipod, and travel speakers for playing the ipod in the truck, you realize most of it could be bought at Walmart. Flipping through the phone book, you stare at the results in dismay. "The nearest _Walmart_ is in _Port Angeles_, an _hour_ away?"

"Yeah, you're not in Phoenix anymore, kiddo," Charlie laughs.

"I can't believe they have the audacity to call this place a city," you grumble. "Do they even have a McDonald's?" You quickly check the phone book for the answer.

"You know, even _China_ has a McDonald's," you declare, teasing Charlie. "In fact, even _India_, where _cows_ are _sacred_ has a McDonald's. The _CITY_ of Forks? _No_ McDonald's! I'm not sure this place even qualifies as a _town_, much less a city."

Looking over the dining options, you feel slightly disgruntled by the lack of options. The restaurant section doesn't even cover two whole pages, despite listing eating establishments as far away as Sequim. "Good grief! You don't even have a Starbucks!" you exclaim in surprise. "For goodness sake, they started in SEATTLE, just a few hours away! Starbucks is _everywhere_ these days! Well, everywhere but _Forks_, apparently."

"Yeah, well, we're a little old fashioned here. We like the down home friendly atmosphere of a small town, rather than the impersonal indifference of major chains," Charlie defends.

"I see. The town that time forgot. Mayberry Central. I'm surprised they even have internet capability," you taunt, rolling your eyes. Sighing, you return the phone book to the drawer, and mutter under your breath in amusement, "I guess that's one of the reasons the Cullens like it here so much. It hasn't changed much in the past seventy years or so."

Snickering to yourself, you head back upstairs to unpack Bella's stuff and arrange things to your own satisfaction. You start making a shopping list too, of all the things you'd prefer to what Bella has available.

Remembering a couple of fan fictions you'd read before, in which the author found themselves in the Twilight world, but began forgetting what they knew of the Twilight saga, you write a careful timeline of all the events you remember, as well as any info you deem important, just in case.

This reminds you of all the angst Edward felt in the series and the way he steamrolled over Bella, ignoring what she wanted, keeping secrets from her, and making important, life-changing decisions that deeply affect her, without even bothering to consult her first. Along that line of thinking, you recall the way Alice always used emotional blackmail to force Bella into doing things she didn't want to do.

_Knowledge is power_, you remind yourself. _I won't make the same mistakes she did._

Thinking back, you aren't surprised Rosalie had no respect for Bella as a person. With Rose's last human experience dominating her thoughts, she would naturally despise weakness in women, knowing her own naive blindness to the true danger hiding behind a facade of rich good looks led to her downfall. She would have seen Bella's lack of fear and concern in the presence of unequivocal danger as foreboding, conjuring up memories of the betrayal of her own innocence and knowing the moment would inevitably come when Bella would be forced to view the world without rose colored glasses.

Given what they saw of Bella's interactions with Edward and Alice, the entire Cullen family underestimated Bella's emotional connection to them, since Bella gave the impression she was easily manipulated by the words and willpower of others. She made risky choices when left to her own devices and rarely protested when someone else made her decisions for her. She accepted being treated like a child on a daily basis, yet was bewildered as to why none of them considered her an adult, capable of making choices with eternal consequences.

You are going to make changes, making your position unequivocal from the start. One of the first and easiest ways is by telling all the human boys, in no uncertain terms, that they don't have a chance with you, including Jacob. Knowing that so many guys find you immensely attractive provides all the confidence you need in your appearance, confidence Bella never had. Looking at it from the outside and in hindsight, you realize how many mixed messages Bella sent Edward by being overly open and friendly with both Mike and Jacob. She didn't want to risk hurting their feelings, but her inability to say 'no' to the other boys and mean it, caused Edward to question her devotion to him and doubt her ability to form a permanent connection with him at her age and maturity level.

_I'm smarter than that_, you think smugly. _Of course, it really helps to know the negative consequences of failing to get the message across._

Wanting to do a little research on the Civil War, overhauling automobiles, video game cheat codes, famous fashion designers, and customs of 1918 Chicago, to help facilitate conversation with the Cullen 'children', you decide to head over to the library. Jogging down the stairs, you're surprised when you stumble and fall against the banister, nearly tumbling the rest of the way down. Breathing hard as the adrenalin races through your system, you cling to the railing as you carefully right yourself.

_What the hell was that? _You wonder. _I've never been clumsy like Bella before! There must be something wrong with this body, damage to the inner ear or something, to have that much of a balance issue. One more thing to research at the library, I guess. At least I'll have something to discuss with Carlisle when the time comes._

You walk carefully down the rest of the way and don't have any other mishaps. Making your way toward the front door, you stop at the entrance to the living room and announce, "Dad, I'm going to the library."

"Library? The library is closed on Sundays," he replies distractedly, his eyes never leaving the TV screen.

"Right, of course it is!" you exclaim in disgust. It's not unusual for small libraries to close on Sundays, but you hadn't thought about that before. You are feeling impatient to begin making progress, but once again you realize you'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Hearing the tone of your voice, Charlie turns to see the look on your face. Chuckling, he adds, "It's only open for two hours on Saturdays too, around lunchtime. You can go by there tomorrow, if you want, but they don't open until 11am."

"Thanks," you huff, rolling your eyes. You have too much to accomplish to wait around for the library to open.

"I'm going to order pizza," Charlie offers, hoping to improve your mood.

"Thanks," you tell him, sincerely this time. You give him a reassuring smile and ask for your favorite kind of pizza. He returns the smile and picks up the phone. You can barely hold in your giggles when you realize the pizza place has the prime number one spot on Charlie's speed dial.

_I'm going to have to do something about our meals, or else we'll both have a heart attack_, you think, giving an amused snort. You head back upstairs to put the finishing touches on your room and pick out an outfit for tomorrow.


	4. Research and Revelations

**AN:** (For more of the research done, read the first half of Chapter 3 in the Bella/Edward version.)

**Chapter 3 - Research and Revelations**

You travel to Port Angeles to shop and purchase a new iPhone.

_This thing is perfect_, you think. _It does everything I need in one easy, portable package._

You settle down at the mall with some food and begin working on the research you planned. Thinking about the danger of being Edward's singer and wanting to make Jasper more comfortable around you, you start wondering if there is any way you can alter your scent to be less appealing to vampires. You spend the next hour researching the subject of changing your body odor, which brings up some interesting questions.

_I wonder if Carlisle has thought about any of this. He'd be in the perfect position to test the merit of some of these ideas._

Apparently red meat has a strong effect on body odor, which is particularly interesting because the majority of human drinkers mentioned by Meyer seem to prefer America and Europe, where a large portion of the humans regularly eat red meat. Considering that the Cullens openly prefer the blood of predators, claiming strict herbivores don't smell or taste particularly appetizing, there may be some merit to this way of thinking.

_Do human vegetarians smell less appetizing? _You wonder, deciding to try a vegetarian diet, at least for a while, to see if it helps make your scent less tempting.

You also found that chlorophyll somehow works to naturally 'deodorize' the human body from the inside. It apparently greatly decreases a person's body odor.

_Could consumption of chlorophyll be part of the reason deer smell and taste so bland? Chlorophyll also gives plants their green color_, you muse. _I wonder if it plays a part in vegetarian vampires eye color too. If a vampire fed a human chlorophyll supplements, then drank their blood, what color would their eyes be?_

You also find that mint can be used as a replacement scent, not only because eating it produces a noticeably pleasant mouth and body odor, but because it is also excreted in breast milk. Since it is found in breast milk, that means it is carried in the bloodstream and must therefore affect the odor of one's blood.

Deciding to go for a minty fresh scent for yourself, you pick up some organic mint shampoo and conditioner at the health food store, along with the recommended supplements and groceries. You spy several different garlic supplements and remember that it is also found in breast milk and thus in the blood.

_Wouldn't it be funny if garlic really does repulse vampires if you eat enough of it? _You snicker to yourself. _It certainly works to repulse humans! Then again, the Volturi are located in Italy, so maybe garlic smells really good to them instead. _

Shrugging, you grab a few bottles, just in case the mint doesn't work.

Settling back into your research, you check out turn of the century etiquette, trying to get a better handle on Edward's view of the world. Glancing through a digital copy of Youth's Educator for Home and Society published in 1896, you find way more than you ever wanted to know.

"**A lady should not concern herself with any of the details of her trip, when she has an escort. It is presumed that he knows more about traveling than she does..."**

_Is that why Eddie boy never wanted to tell Bella where they were going? How lame._

**"She should never permit one of the opposite sex to address her in a slangy fashion, touch her on the shoulder, call her by her first name before strangers. All such little familiarities, ... will give others the impression that she is not held in the highest esteem..."**

_Well, damn, if a touch to the shoulder is so disrespectful, that explains a hell of a lot where Eddie is concerned._

**"Both ladies and gentlemen will be very careful to keep their breaths sweet and pure. We wish there were some law to prevent people from polluting their breaths with onions and tobacco when they are going into a mixed company. No one has a right to make himself in any manner offensive to others. All the laws of good breeding forbid it..."**

_Hmmm, maybe the garlic is a bad idea after all. Better stick with the mint._

**"Make it a rule of your daily life to "dress up" for the afternoon..."**

_Maybe that's where Alice gets it from._

Thinking of Alice immediately brings your thoughts to Jasper. His treatment at the hands of his wife isn't lost on you. The retiring, silent, nonconfrontational, 'weak', sweater and penny loafer wearing, perpetual high school student doesn't hold any charm for you. He seems more like a puppet to you, with Alice pulling all the strings.

The description of Jasper Hale just doesn't match the vibrant, commanding, charismatic, brilliant, controlled, strategic military leader known as Major Whitlock. In the Twilight series, it wasn't until the lives of the Cullens were threatened that he was shown any respect at all. The fact that he was able to be incarcerated in a car and hotel room with Bella for days and then ripped James to pieces in a room bathed with Bella's blood, all without losing control, is simply glossed over by the Cullens and Bella alike.

_When was he given credit for his accomplishments? _You think grimly. _They were certainly eager enough to jump on his mistakes!_

Just for fun, you decided to look at etiquette around the time of the Civil War and see how it compared with Edward's time.

**If in the course of conversation, a lady repeatedly interjects the word "Sir" at the end of the sentence, it is usually a polite sign that she does not desire that gentleman's acquaintance.**

_Okay, that's way too subtle for the guys these days. _

**Some of the basic recommendations for individuals to display correct manners include never sleeping in one's clothes during the day, never keeping one's hat on in the presence of a lady, not to tilt one's chair, not to touch one's partner one is conversing with, never grab women by the waist or touch them in general, and not to make fun of those who bathe and wash regularly.**

_That last rule is a little scary - the fact that it needed to be said, indicating it was a real problem. I'm awfully glad it's the other way around these days. Summarizing - don't make fun of clean people, don't touch anyone, and don't act like a typical teenage boy in school. Got it._

**When women are in conversations with gentlemen, they are never to ask them about their health. Gentlemen are advised against asking ladies any questions at all.**

_Obviously they wouldn't have approved of Eddie's little two day interrogation session then. Can't imagine how gentlemen are supposed to get to know the ladies though._

**The slightest contact is to be avoided between ladies and gentlemen in public, even between married couples.**

_Okay, I'm definitely not fond of this one. Is that way Alice and Jasper only stare into each other's eyes when they meet in the airport at the end of New Moon?_

**Always introduce the gentleman to the lady-never the lady to the gentleman. The chivalry of etiquette assumes that the lady is invariably the superior in right of her sex, and that the gentleman is honored in the introduction. This rule is to be observed even when the social rank of the gentleman is higher than that of the lady.**

_Finally! Evidence of female superiority!_ You snicker to yourself. _Rosalie embodies this one perfectly. I'm sure the gentlemen she meets do feel honored by her attention._

Chuckling to yourself, you decide you've wasted enough time on useless trivia and move on to studying Texas in the Civil War. Checking out various websites, you concentrate on the Battles of Galveston, knowing Jasper was there evacuating the women and children right before his change. Something amazing catches your eye on the Wickipedia article regarding the Battle of Galveston Harbor (1862).

**On October 4, 1862, [Union] Commander William B. Renshaw . . . sent USRC Harriet Lane into the harbor flying a flag of truce. The intention was to inform the military authorities in Galveston that if the town did not surrender, the U.S. Navy ships would attack; a one hour reply would be demanded.**

**Colonel Joseph J. Cook, Confederate military commander in the area, would not come out to the Union ship or send an officer to receive the communication, so Harriet Lane . . . returned to the fleet. Four Union steamers, with a mortar boat in tow, then entered the harbor . . . [The] Confederates at Fort Point fired one or more shots and the U.S. Navy ships answered. Eventually, the Union ships disabled the one Confederate gun at Fort Point and fired at other targets.**

**The boat that Colonel Cook had dispatched now approached the Union vessels, and two Confederate officers boarded USS Westfield. Renshaw demanded an unconditional surrender of Galveston or he would begin bombarding the town again. Cook refused Renshaw's terms, and conveyed to Renshaw that upon him rested the responsibility of destroying the town and killing women, children, and immigrants.**

**Renshaw threatened to resume the shelling and made preparations for towing the mortar boat into position. One of the Confederate officers then asked if he could be granted time to talk with Colonel Cook again. This officer, A MAJOR [emphasis added], negotiated with Renshaw for a four day truce to evacuate the women, children, and aliens from the city. **

**The agreement was finalized but never written down, which later caused problems. The Confederates did evacuate, taking all of their weapons, ammunition, supplies, and whatever they could carry with them. Renshaw did not think that the agreement allowed for all this but, in the end, did nothing, due to the lack of a written document.**

_Did I read that correctly? _You ask yourself. _What other major could possibly have the charisma to single-handedly negotiate that little piece of strategical mastery? Hello, Major Whitlock!_

Finding reference to Jasper in history, even if it was as an unnamed major, helped something click in place in your mind.

_Jasper's going to be mine_, you decide. _Alice has made him throw out the baby with the bathwater! In denying his entire past, she's taken away an essential part of his character. I'm going to help Jasper accept himself and show his true colors. He shouldn't be wasting his time and talents in high school year after year! He can be Major Whitlock without being a monster. He just needs someone to have a little faith in him and help him find faith in himself. He should be leading the Whitlock coven and making a difference in the world, not pretending to be a child! Alice can't possibly be his true mate to subjugate him so miserably. Why on earth does he let her get away with it?_


	5. Whistling Dixie

**Chapter 4 - Whistling Dixie**

Your conscience kicks in and reminds you that Jasper is supposedly happily married, according to Meyer's writing. It is only the plethora of Bella/Jasper fan fictions you've read that indicate he could be much happier with you than Alice.

_I don't want to be a home wrecker_, you think. _If he is truly happy with her, I won't be the cause of the demise of their relationship. I will still help him accept himself and stand up for himself, knowing he is much stronger than everyone believes. If Alice truly loves him, she will be happy for him gaining confidence in himself and embracing the good parts of his past, while forgiving himself for the things he did for the sake of survival. I'll at least be his best friend. _

_We'll see Alice's true colors when I don't allow her to guilt me into doing or wearing things I don't like. I won't be a doormat like the original Bella. Forget that! Edward is in for a rude awakening too. I won't put up with any of his dazzling. Maybe I could be happy with him if he grows up a little and learns to accept himself. I'm not into the whole moody, brooding, self-loathing scene._

After finishing up the rest of your research and making the last of your purchases, you decide to head back to Forks. Along the way, you see a highway sign with the mileage to La Push.

_Should I take a look around and try to find out what is going on with the wolves? _You wonder. _Nah, I should question Charlie about the happenings on the rez first. I don't want to give Jacob the impression I sought him out, but I don't have an 'in' with anyone but the Blacks and the Clearwaters. Seth is too young, and Leah isn't going to be in the mood to talk to anyone right about now._

You stop at the grocery store to stock Charlie's house with food for both you and him. As you fill your basket, you notice a gorgeous, pale, conservatively dressed woman, with light caramel colored hair, shopping too.

_That must be Esme! _You guess excitedly. _I want to meet her!_

You casually follow her to the produce section, picking up things along the way, so it won't be obvious you're stalking her. Once there, you fill your arms with apples and then try to get one of those filmy plastic bags open to put them inside. In the process, you drop a few of the apples, deliberately rolling one in Esme's direction, knowing her personality and upbringing will prompt her to pick it up and return it to you.

Sure enough, she turned around while the apple was still a few feet away and spied your predicament.

"Oh, dear, let me help you!" she quietly exclaimed, hurrying forward and scooping up apples along the way.

"Sorry," you murmur, blushing. "I should have gotten the bag first, but I was lost in thought and not really paying attention to what I was doing."

"Oh, that's quite alright, dear, though I'm not sure you're going to want to eat those apples. They're going to be horribly bruised," she advised.

You smile at her, relaxing and enjoying her motherly vibe. "Maybe I can make applesauce or something with them. I'm Bella Swan. I just moved here to live with my father, Charlie. Thank you for your help. It's a pleasure meeting you."

You hold out your hand, and she looks at it in surprise, before smiling hesitantly and gently accepting it to shake. Since you already know what to expect, the coolness and hardness of her hand doesn't bother you. In fact, you are pleasantly surprised to find it isn't as cold as you were expecting, and your resultant pleased smile is genuine.

When you shake her hand without flinching or treating her as anything but human, she beams widely and introduces herself. "I'm Esme Cullen. My husband, Dr. Cullen, and our five children moved here a little over two years ago. Are you going to be attending Forks High?"

You smile and nod, offering, "Yes, I'm technically still a junior, but with the advanced level classes I've been taking and my current GPA, I'm planning to do a dual enrollment with college next year. So, this is my last year at the high school."

"Dual enrollment?" she asks, appearing interested.

You smile again. "If you work it out with your guidance counselor, it is possible to go on to college your senior year and receive both college credit and high school credit for your college classes. That way, you receive your high school diploma at the end of your first year of college."

"That sounds interesting!" she commented. "I have two juniors and three seniors at the high school now. I wonder if Edward and Alice would like to pursue that option as well."

"I'd be happy to talk to them about it," you offer. "I'm so nervous about starting school tomorrow. I don't know anybody there, and I hate to be the center of attention. I wish I had a few brothers and sisters to help share the spotlight and calm my jitters, but I'm an only child. Charlie works so hard, I'll be spending most of my time alone." You offer her a tremulous smile, knowing it'll pull on her maternal heart strings. "Don't worry, I'm used to it. I practically raised myself anyway, since my mother was hardly ever home either. I'll be fine."

"Oh, dear," Esme murmured in concern, her eyebrows furrowed. She was wringing her hands and appeared to be having a mental argument with herself.

You give her a gentle squeeze on her arm and continue, "Hopefully, I'll make friends soon. I didn't have any back in Phoenix, since I always had to hurry home to do my homework, clean the house, pay the bills, and cook dinner, along with working at my job. But Charlie assures me people are much nicer here. Plus, he takes care of the bills, so I should have a little more time to spend with others too."

Esme is frowning now and rubbing your upper arm soothingly.

"Hey!" you suddenly say, as if having an epiphany. "Your kids are all my age, and you're so sweet, I'm sure they must be great kids. Do you think any of them might be willing to be my friend, or at least help me to get settled for the first few days? Maybe you could put in a good word for me."

Esme squares her shoulders and straightens her spine. She nods and gives a tight smile. "I'm sure they can make your first few days more comfortable at least, until you've made some friends of your own. I'll speak with them tonight."

"Really? Thank you!" you exclaim happily, giving her a big hug. She's startled, but after a second or two, she gently hugs you back.

"I wish I had a mom like you," you sigh into her chest, knowing she can hear you, but would assume you didn't know she could hear it. "I never knew what I was missing, that mommy hugs are so comforting and safe, like coming home."

"Oh, sweetie," she coos sadly, placing a light kiss on the top of your head.

You slowly pull away from her, demonstrating a reluctance to leave her embrace. "Thanks again, Mrs. Cullen. It was so nice to meet you."

"You too, dear, and call me Esme," she croons, squeezing your hand and smiling.

You bite your lip and duck your head, looking up at her through your lashes and ask, "I don't want to be rude, but would it be alright to call you Momma C? It just feels more right than calling you by your first name."

She beams so widely she's practically glowing. "Yes, dear. That would be fine. I don't mind at all."

Grinning back you wave and turn to finish your shopping. "Bye, Momma C. It was nice talking to you," You call over your shoulder.

She returns the wave and calls back, "It was my pleasure!"

You look back before you turn the aisle and realize she is practically vibrating with excitement after your encounter. _One down, six to go_, you think smugly to yourself.

**xxxxxxx**

"Hey, Dad! I met a nice lady in the grocery store today, Esme Cullen."

"Ah, yes, we're lucky she wanted to live in a small town. Her husband, Dr. Cullen, is a brilliant surgeon who can get a job anywhere he wants for much higher pay. He's a real asset to the community. The kids are all really well behaved, polite and mature. The family sticks together, like a family should. You'd do well to make friends with them. They excel in school, stay healthy and active, and never cause trouble around here, unlike the majority of the kids from families who've lived here for generations."

You nod and smile appreciatively. "Well, Esme was one of the sweetest women I've ever met," you confess. "She said she'd talk to them about showing me around and helping me get settled here."

Charlie smiles and nods. "Good for you. They don't have many friends, since so many of the people in this town are jealous of their looks, intelligence, and money. It's just pathetic how shallow everyone is."

"The sour grapes phenomenon," you agree. "It was weird though. As I was leaving, I saw a couple of guys from the rez glaring hatefully at Esme and making rude gestures, for no apparent reason. She ignored them, but I could tell it upset her."

"Damn prejudiced idiots," he mutters, narrowing his eyes. "I've never been one to listen to gossip, Bella. I prefer to trust my own observations and instincts. I'm aware of the concerns the Quileutes have about the Cullens, but Carlisle and his family have never given me any reason to doubt their trustworthiness. I've seen how hard Carlisle works at the hospital and the lives he's saved. I've seen the volunteer work Esme does for the community without acknowledgment or praise. I'm aware of how many local charities have gotten large anonymous donations since the Cullens moved here. I want you to make up your own mind based on _your_ observations and experiences with them, rather than blindly following the opinions of others. Do your own research, then think and decide for yourself. That's all I ask."

You reply in the affirmative, looking at Charlie with a newfound respect. _He's much deeper than Meyer portrayed him_, you realize. _Now I feel kind of guilty for inadvertently taking over his daughter's body. I hope she's okay, wherever she is._

"Oh, have there been any bear attacks recently, either here or on the rez?" you ask.

"_Bear_ attacks?" he queries suspiciously, watching you closely. "Not that I'm aware. Why? Did you hear something?"

You blink and shrug. "Nah, I just read there are bears in the woods around here and was wondering how concerned I should be."

"Mmm, I see," Charlie hums, clearly in his 'cop mode'. "There hasn't been a bear attack around here for years, but you shouldn't go into the woods without a guide and proper gear. The bears get into people's campsites every now and then, when they don't follow the rules and leave food down where the bears can get to it. If you _do_ hear of a bear attacking a _human_, here or in La Push, please make sure you let me know right away."

"Sure thing, Dad," you quickly agree. _Hmmm. I think Charlie may know more than Meyer thought he did. Then again, it may just be my guilty conscience talking._

**xxxxxxx**

The next morning, you go to school bright and early for a quick conference with your guidance counselor. After reviewing your academic record, he eagerly presses forward with the paperwork for performing dual enrollment next year and reorganizing your schedule according to the material 'Bella' had already studied, rather than simply placing you in classes based on your grade level. There is no need to repeat core classes just to get an easy A. The more senior level classes you take this year, the less restrictive your college course load will be next year.

_I wonder if I'll have any Cullens in my classes with this new schedule._

You eagerly go back out to the student parking lot and wait in your truck for the Cullens to arrive. You deliberately parked where you'd have the clearest view of incoming traffic. You have a plan to catch Jasper's attention right from the get go and hope it will be an impetus to gain his friendship.

Lifting the binoculars up to your eyes once again and are finally rewarded with the sight of a shiny Volvo in the distance. Excited, you drop the binoculars into the wheel well and start the music you downloaded yesterday for Jasper's listening pleasure.

The instrumental version of Dixie, the unofficial Confederate anthem, begins blaring from the speakers. You are fairly confident the song that was used as a morale booster for the troops during the Civil War will catch his attention, as it certainly isn't the type of music the typical teenager blasts on their iPod. After the intro, you join in, singing the lyrics you had written down.

_Southrons, hear your country call you,_

_Up, lest worse than death befall you!_

_To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!_

_Lo! all the beacon-fires are lighted,_

_Let all hearts be now united!_

_To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!_

_(Chorus)_

_Advance the flag of Dixie!_

_Hurrah! Hurrah!_

_In Dixie's land we take our stand,_

_And live or die for Dixie!_

_To arms! To arms!_

_And conquer peace for Dixie!_

_To arms! To arms!_

_And conquer peace for Dixie!_

_Fear no danger! Shun no labor!_

_Lift up rifle, pike, and sabre!_

_To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!_

_Shoulder pressing close to shoulder,_

_Let the odds make each heart bolder!_

_To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!_

_(Chorus)_

_Advance the flag of Dixie!_

_Hurrah! Hurrah!_

_In Dixie's land we take our stand,_

_And live or die for Dixie!_

_To arms! To arms!_

_And conquer peace for Dixie!_

_To arms! To arms!_

_And conquer peace for Dixie!_

_Swear upon your country's altar_

_Never to submit or falter_

_To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!_

_Till the spoilers are defeated,_

_Till the Lord's work is completed!_

_To arms! To arms! To arms, in Dixie!_

There are other stanzas, but you chose these as a good representation. As the Volvo gets closer, you can tell you successfully achieved your goal of attracting the attention of the vampire family. All five heads are pointed in your direction, staring intensely. Alice and Edward both seem surprised, confused, and somewhat frustrated. Rosalie appears annoyed and curious.

_I wonder if she's annoyed that a human could actually engender curiosity from her_, you think to yourself, hiding a smirk.

Emmett looks amused and entertained, while Jasper is staring at you in amazement.

Giving a friendly smile and a wave, you turn off the music and open your door. Getting out, you grab your backpack, swinging it up onto your shoulder, then shut the door behind you, looking at them expectantly. Jasper is now staring longingly at your iPod, though he can't acknowledge having heard the song without giving himself away. You wait for them to park and get out of the car.

"Y'all must be the Cullens. I met Esme yesterday at the grocery story. I must admit, I think you guys are really lucky to have her. She seems like such a natural mother, and my dad has only the highest praise and respect for your father. I mean, whatever happened to cause the need to be adopted sucks, but at least you're now with two compassionate, caring people who truly love and accept you, right?"


	6. Confrontations

**Chapter Five - Confrontations**

"Oh, yes, she did briefly mention meeting you," Alice comments, giving you a nice big fake smile and showing off her bright white, razor sharp teeth, gleaming with venom. Instinctively, you recoil a bit in fear, taking a small step away from her, which actually puts you closer to Jasper. Alice's rapidly darkening eyes are giving you the creeps, and the hair is standing up on the back of your neck, warning you of the danger she represents. This is simply part of the natural response of prey within easy striking distance of a salivating predator. Unlike Meyer's Bella, you are nobody's fool and aren't naïve to the possibility of your demise.

Your mind quickly catches up with your instincts, and you squelch your fear, knowing none of the Cullens would dare hurt you in front of all these witnesses. You have already acquired a large audience, though they are carefully keeping their distance from the intimidating vampires. Not only are the other teenagers curious about you as the new girl who can widen their horizons with new gossip and talk of other people and places, but you also have a bit of notoriety as the daughter of the local Police Chief and all that entails.

To top it all off, you have deliberately approached and addressed the Cullens en masse, a daring feat no others have attempted thus far. Everyone else has made their approaches to individual Cullens, unable to face the combined menace radiating from the group when all together. Thus, the rest of the school is patiently waiting for you to be rebuffed like they all were, so they can approach you and 'console' you over your rejection by the snobby, creepy, incestual Cullens who prefer to keep all their social interactions within their own family.

Several of them are practically vibrating with the desire to 'take you under their wing' and give you the dirt on the Cullens, spreading the sour grapes phenomenon far and wide. You know they will belittle the Cullens' beauty, claiming plastic surgery, the Cullens' wealth, pointing out how they are all orphans at the mercy of their adoptive parents, the Cullens' intelligence, whispering about cheating, bribes, and favoritism, and the love between soul mates, playing up the brother/sister angle and intimating incest. All of this they cheapen in their own eyes, with their false words and superior attitudes, out of nothing more than jealousy and envy for what they want but can't have.

You had been willing to give Alice a chance, based on the love Meyer's Bella had for her and the hope she could be redeemed from the selfish, manipulative bitch her actions showed her to be. Meyer's Bella had been oblivious to the way Alice controlled her through emotional blackmail and sheer force of will, as well as the way Alice regularly manipulated situations using her 'visions' to get her own way. You had hoped Alice was just as oblivious of her own inappropriate behavior and the consequences thereof, as that would have meant she had a chance of redemption. Now you can see for yourself the calculating gleam in her eye and the deliberate choice of her actions. There is no longer any doubt in your mind as to her knowledge of the way she plays with the people around her, like a puppet master delicately pulling their strings to get the desired result. Your respect for Alice instantly decreases, though you are careful not to underestimate her, and you feel disgusted by her threatening demeanor toward someone Esme had specifically requested they befriend.

"You must be Alice," you reply, your tone just as condescending as hers was and your smile just as fake. Rose had been deliberately ignoring you, pretending you didn't even exist. After your comment, she raises her eyebrow and really looks at you, as if only just now seeing you. She meets your gaze, surprise, confusion, and annoyance written there in her golden eyes. You give her a friendly, accepting smile, and she returns it with a harsh glare and a scowl. Your smile turns into a smirk, and you can't resist throwing her a wink as well. Her brows furrow in confusion at your unexpected reaction.

_There's no heat in her glare_, you realize. _Her eyes stayed golden, unlike Alice's. Rose doesn't consider me a threat and is just trying to scare me away for my own good_.

Edward is staring at you intensely, looking as if he is trying to drill holes in your skull with his eyes. He is rapidly becoming agitated, ignoring the questioning glances cast his way by his increasingly disturbed family members.

_Looks like Bella's shield came with her body_, you think smugly. _So sorry Eddie, boy. Not!_

Alice's hands go to her hips, and she cocks her head to the side, while giving you a slow, head-to-toe perusal. In a tone that declares her belief in her own superiority, she queries, "What on earth are you wearing?"

Thinking that remark is so characteristic of Alice, you laugh, startling and throwing them off balance once again. "It's called clothes. Google it."

Rose and Jasper both snort in amusement, while Emmett openly guffaws. Alice hisses, her eyes turning black with anger, and Edward grimaces.

"You clearly have no idea how to dress yourself," Alice sneers.

Before she can continue with her belittling remarks, you jovially interrupt, "Really? Let's see," You look down at yourself, as if carefully inspecting your garments.

"Hmmm, nothing on backward or inside out. Underwear on the inside, socks before shoes, buttons buttoned, zippers zipped. Funny, looks good to me. Sorry, Alice, you must be mistaken. I assure you I've been dressing myself successfully since I was still in diapers," you declare. Rose and Jasper are desperately trying to hide their smirks, and Emmett is snickering into Rose's hair, his shoulders shaking. Edward appears distinctly uncomfortable, and you wonder whose thoughts are bothering him now.

Deliberately ignoring Alice, you turn to look at Emmett and realize the movie really didn't do him justice. He is huge, seriously reminiscent of a grizzly bear. The movie Emmett was actually kind of wimpy really. His body type was more like that of a baseball player than a football player or bodybuilder. This Emmett easily looks like he could wrestle bears with his bare hands or bench press a car or two. He reminds you of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.

First of all, you have to look _way_ up to meet his eyes. You knew he was tall, but the crick in your neck is bringing it home to you in a whole new way. Secondly, when you stand right in front of him, he blocks out everything around him. You can't even see the school behind him, as his body eclipses it. His legs are as thick as tree trunks, and his biceps are bigger than your thighs. His amber eyes are twinkling as he endures your perusal.

Raising both your eyebrows, you offer your hand and dryly comment, "I'm confused. Am I addressing Paul Bunyan or Bruce Banner?"

He roars with laughter and pumps your hand enthusiastically. "That's a new one! I like her. Can we keep her?"

"Whoa there big guy! I'd like to keep my arm attached to my body, please," you yelp.

"Oops, sorry," he apologizes, dropping your hand immediately and donning a contrite expression.

"No worries, big guy, it's still intact, at least for a little while longer," you tease, calming his concern. "You know, you're just like the big brother I always wanted, only about ten times scarier. You wouldn't be in the market for a little sister, would you? I could use somebody to come along and act menacing toward the foolish little boys who won't take no for an answer. That would be so sweet. I can just imagine it. 'Okay, you just ask my big brother Emmett, and if he gives his approval, then sure, I'll date you'. How many do you think would lose control of their bodily functions at the mere thought of approaching you to ask permission to date your baby sis?" You snicker at the mental picture of Mike Newton crapping himself and then running in the opposite direction. "Mike Newton," you mutter, then snicker harder. "Wonder if he keeps a spare pair of tighty-whiteys lying around."

"Hell, yeah! Count me in, baby sis!" Emmett chuckles eagerly. "I like the way you think. Besides, I could use a partner in crime for some of my less intelligent pranks. Nobody else will play along with me." He offers you his fist, and you give him a gentle fist pound to avoid hurting yourself.

You turn to Rose who is watching you speculatively. "My mother hasn't taught me jackshit about anything worthwhile, so I could really use some female guidance to teach me everything I need to know to survive and succeed. I know Esme would be willing to give me maternal advice, but honestly, there are some things that are much easier to discuss with an older sister than a mother. Since you are clearly my big brother's more attractive better half, that makes you my sister-in-law. You can be an awesome big sister or a pain-in-the-ass big sister, but either way you're stuck with me now," you challenge with a smirk.


	7. The Way the Wind Blows

**Chapter 6 - The Way the Wind Blows**

"Whatever," Rose huffs, rolling her eyes and looking away, though once again, you can see her eyes remain golden and her body language is relaxed. Her posture is no longer closed up and defensive, as it was when you first approached her.

Knowing Rose needs to save face with her attitude, you are pleased, rather than offended, by her response. After all, she could have glared at you hatefully and told you to take a long walk off a short pier, only in a less polite way.

Grinning, you mimic her as closely as possible, then follow up with, "See, I'm learning already."

Her eyes, which had narrowed as you copied her complete verbal and physical response to you, now light up with amusement. She keeps her poker face on and rolls her eyes again, pretending to ignore you. If you hadn't caught the flash of her initial response, you might be fooled by her carefully feigned indifference. Luckily, you were paying close attention.

Alice is less than pleased with your easygoing attitude toward Emmett and Rosalie, but tries to hide it. An average human would likely be fooled by her demeanor, but thanks to the books, you know what to look for and are able to detect the slight tension around her jaw and eyes, as well as the barest flaring of her nostrils, that gives lie to her friendly facial expression. It helps that her eyes are still darker than they were when you arrived, despite the fact she's been upwind the entire time. You know the eyes are the biggest 'tells' the vamps have as to their true state of mind.

"Well, now that you're a member of the family," she coos disdainfully. "We simply _must_ go shopping. No _Cullen_ would stoop to dressing like _that_."

You give her a snide, disrespectful look. "Oh? As in warmly, comfortably, and practically? It's only 36 degrees (F) outside, Alice! This is January! It could snow at any time. Newsflash: a skirt and pantyhose is _not_ weather appropriate. Not to mention the danger of wearing high heels on icy roads and sidewalks. You think people are admiring your fashion sense, but they're really just thinking you're crazy and guessing you must enjoy a cold draft in your nether regions. Plus, you're a bad role model for impressionable young girls with low self-esteem and more hormones than sense. It's the middle school crowd, with their lack of self-confidence in their own intrinsic attractiveness, who use external decorations, like clothes, accessories, and makeup, to increase their feelings of self-worth, that is impressed with your apparent willingness to freeze to death in the name of fashion. I doubt Dr. Cullen would be pleased to treat their hypothermia when they dress the way you do in weather like this."

As you put her in her place, you are thinking about the other discrepancies in their appearance. The most obvious is that you can see your breath, while the same is not true for them. Next, you know your ears and nose are red from the cold, whereas they have no such change.

_Are the humans in this universe really so stupid or blind that they haven't noticed any of these things in all the years the Cullens have been interacting with them? Seriously? Even if I had never read Twilight, I would have known something was unnatural about these guys._

"How dare you? Who do you think you are?" Alice growls, taking a menacing step toward you.

You take two steps away from her, once again moving closer to Jasper. He's close enough for you to sense his presence behind you through some kind of supernatural radar or sixth sense. You don't know how you're doing it, but you are very aware of the inches separating the two of you, as if the air in that space has become charged and is bouncing back and forth off the two of you.

You concentrate on sending respect, trust, acceptance, welcome, and a little love his way. You feel a ghostly breeze of surprise and curiosity lick lightly at your back. You add some hope, happiness, and a bit of amusement to your previous emotional cocktail and focus it on him, wiggling your fingers slightly behind your back to confirm the emotions are directed toward him. This time the surprise, curiosity, and intrigue blanket you from behind, like slipping on a shawl, before being withdrawn. The exchange takes only a few seconds and is completely spur of the moment, so you hope none of the others noticed it.

Your emotions return to anger, disappointment, and disgust, as you reply, "What is the purpose of fashion, but to show off, to maximize your looks and attempt to set yourself above everyone else? Isn't the function of designer labels to get noticed, to make you stand out in a crowd as one of the blessed elite? Isn't the point of wearing expensive, exclusive, identifiable, memorable clothing to set you apart, to call attention to yourself, and engender envy in your peers?"

You see the thoughtful looks on the other vampires' faces as you spell it out, as if they never even considered the implications before. It makes you just want to shout, _Hello, people! You do a suckass job of blending in with the humans! I have enough tips on what you could do better to fill a book!_

"Exactly!" Alice sneers, to the surprise of the others. You can practically see the wheels turning in their heads as they realize Alice deliberately dresses them in clothing that calls attention to them, rather than helping them blend in with the humans, as they are supposed to do.

Too caught up in trying to insult you, Alice hasn't realized the consequences of your speech and her subsequent confirmation. "You're just jealous, like all the other pathetic losers here. You only wish you could look this good, but you never will, so you pretend you don't want it."

You snort and suavely reply, "Oh, I'm well aware of the 'sour grapes' philosophy, that if I can't have what I want, then what I wanted probably wasn't that good anyway. The fact of the matter is that I don't have to dress to impress. If a guy can't look past the clothes I'm wearing to be attracted to the woman inside, then he isn't worth having. If all he likes about me is my clothes, he might as well go out with a manikin. If a guy won't still think I'm beautiful the morning after, when I'm naked, with bed hair, no makeup, and morning breath, then he doesn't deserve the gift of the night before, plain and simple. If he can't love me at my worst, then there's no point in showing him my best. You know the song, 'How do I know if he really loves me? It's in his kiss, that's where it is.'? It's true. If you come into the house all hot and sweaty, covered in grease and gunk, with your makeup running down your face like clown paint and your hair lank and lifeless, in a filthy t-shirt and stained overalls, and he comes over to give you a smile and a kiss, that's how you know he truly loves you. If you stagger through the door, drenched and disheveled, looking like a cross between a drowned rat and something the cat dragged in backwards through a briar patch, and he still greets you with a kiss, then you know it's real."

You pause to smile at Emmett and Rosalie, who are looking adoringly in each other's eyes, obviously remembering a few loving kisses between them. Poor Eddie boy is looking slightly nauseous and is pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed, as if it might help erase the images flashing through his mind.

Staring intensely at Alice, you confidently challenge, "If all he ever sees is your glamorous facade, how do you know he'll stay once he finally gets a glimpse of your true face? If you always wear a mask of perfection, then he loves the fake Barbie doll you pretend to be, rather than the real you that you never let him see."

A volley of consternation, trepidation, suspicion, anticipation, and speculation smacks against your back, as if thrown at you, and your shoulders twitch. _Good, let him think about that for a while. He needs to take a closer look at his relationship with the psychotic psychic._

Raising an eyebrow, you tilt your head forward in deliberate provocation, daring Alice with your expression to dispute your words. She bares her teeth angrily and opens her mouth to retort, when her eyes unexpectedly unfocus, causing her to freeze, as if someone has hit her 'pause' button. She comes back to reality a second or two later, and her expression promptly shifts to triumph and smug satisfaction.

_What the fuck?_ You think, only to notice a moment later that the wind has unexpectedly changed direction, blowing your scent straight to Edward. _Oh shit!_

His eyes instantly turn solid black, and the unspoken menace emanating from him is enough to stop your heart for several beats, before it starts up again, galloping along in panic mode. Adrenalin pours into your bloodstream and along to your muscles, as your fight or flight response gears up in a last ditch effort to save your life. Instinctively, you tense to flee, when you suddenly find yourself behind Jasper, facing the school.

"Run!" he growls in your ear, the sound sending shockwaves of tingling pleasure down your spine to your core. You can't resist the urge to peek over your shoulder at your knight in sparkling armor, and the scene burns into your mind to be processed later, for at that moment Rose grabs your arm and tugs you urgently toward the school.

"Wasn't that the bell?" Rose asks in a lame attempt to distract you from the way she is forcing you to run at your fastest pace to 'get to class on time'.

"Yeah, I think it was," Emmett corroborates after it becomes obvious you aren't ready to speak yet. He is jogging along right behind you in a protective way, rather than running alongside Rosalie. "What's your first class?"

"Oh, uh, class, right," you splutter, taken aback by the most recent course of events and struggling for some degree of normalcy. "Um, right, uh . . . Literature and Composition."

"Oh, that's my class too!" Rose speaks brightly. The cheerful tone is suspicious coming from her, and you realize it has an edge of brittleness to it as she continues, "We can walk there together!"

The tension is obvious in the set of her shoulders, the way she's holding her body, the rapid movement of her eyes, and the stiffness of her smile. You've all made it into the building by this time, and you feel your fear fading fast.

_Safety in numbers. Too many witnesses for Edward to attack._

Taking a deep breath, you let it out slowly, feeling your heartbeat slow. You repeat the procedure as you follow Rose. As soon as you have yourself under control again, you playfully tease, "It's way too early in the morning for that fake cheer bullshit, Sis. Besides, the whole bubbly thing doesn't really fit your personality, now does it?"

She relaxes and smirks over at you. "Sorry, Edward forgot to take his meds this morning. It's always a little stressful when he has one of his meltdowns, especially since he can become violent toward others when he's in that frame of mind. It hasn't happened for quite a while, but we wanted to get you out of the way just in case, so you wouldn't get hurt. It's one of the reasons we don't usually interact with other people. We don't always know what triggers him, so it's easier just to minimize the risks."

"Yeah, he looks like the anal-retentive, brooding, self-loathing type," you remark placatingly, impressed with her fast thinking and believable excuse. _Ha! Eddie is going to hate it! Go Rose!_ She and Emmett both laugh at your assessment of Edward.

"I knew there was a reason I don't hate you," Rose quips.

You chuckle, then murmur seriously, "I was actually more worried about the psycho fashionista, to be honest. I wasn't certain she was playing with a full deck, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, she was acting kind of weird this morning, wasn't she?" Emmett agrees thoughtfully. He and Rose exchange a speaking look, and their lips move rapidly.

Smirking to yourself, you shrug and enter the classroom, handing your sign-in sheet to the teacher and waiting for her to return it.


	8. Connections

**Chapter Seven - Connections**

Rose enters the classroom and takes a seat about halfway back, on the side closest to the door, and places her backpack on the seat in front of her. Accepting the signed paper back from the teacher, you head over to join her, hoping she is saving you a seat. Sure enough, she removes her pack once you are a few feet away. You slip into the empty chair, pulling out a notebook, a pencil, and a printout of the original 1959 Chevy truck owner's maintenance manual from your backpack. Flipping through the manual, you stop and read a few paragraphs, tapping your pencil against your bottom lip.

Sensing Rose peering curiously over your shoulder, you sit back and sigh. Rubbing your temples, you groan and deliberately turn sideways in your seat so you can see Rose.

"I'm so bloody frustrated," you admit. "My dad gave me this ancient pile of junk, knowing I didn't know a damn thing about how to take care of it. He assured me his friend's son, Jacob, had overhauled the engine and had everything in good working order. Only to find out the only thing between me and breaking down in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception is the do-it-yourself hobby work of a fourteen year old boy. I wouldn't be surprised to find the only thing holding the engine together is chewing gum and chicken wire, but how can I tell my dad that? His gift may suck, but he gave it from the heart, you know? I keep telling myself it's the thought that counts. He was so proud of himself for my 'welcome to Forks' present, and I couldn't bear to be the one to wipe that grin off his face."

You sigh and roll your eyes before continuing, "Of course, only an idiot drives an ancient clunker in a rural area without knowing how to do 'on the fly' repairs, so I've been trying to learn as much as I can. Honestly, I'd love to just rip the whole damn engine out and replace it with a turbo jet engine, or at least a nice 5.8L Corvette engine, but I know it's not that simple. Past experience has taught me that asking a guy is useless. He might volunteer to look at it _for_ me, but if I ask him to teach me how to do it myself, he always assumes it's just an excuse to spend time with him. Any guy between 13 and 30 will be certain I'm flirting with him, and any guy older than my dad will just pat me condescendingly like a dog and tell me not to worry my pretty little head over it. As if a female couldn't be just as good, if not better, at fixing cars than them!"

"I know what you mean," Rose sympathized. "I've had car salesmen and auto parts dealers make all kinds of demeaning, chauvinistic, condescending remarks to me. It so rewarding to talk circles around them, demonstrating how much more I know about the vehicle or part in question than they ever have or will."

"Oh, yeah! Sing it sister!"

She smirks triumphantly at the encouragement and offers, "I can help you if you'd like. I know a lot about fixing, upgrading, and remodeling vintage vehicles. I even have a fully equipped garage at home with a tool selection that is a mechanic's wet dream."

"Seriously? You'll teach me how to fix it so I don't get stranded on the side of the road somewhere and maybe even help me figure out what makes it sound like a pride of wounded lions every time I get it started? I bet they can hear that thing roaring all the way down in Phoenix, or at least in Tacoma. I swear I'm going to go deaf from the repeated exposure to the decibel level in the Beast's cab, if I keep on driving it the way it is."

"Yes, I'm sure I can have the engine purring in a single afternoon," Rose brags.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't hate you either!" you declare with a grin and a sly wink.

She chuckles, grinning happily, as relaxed as you've seen her yet. "So, _The Beast_?"

"It's fitting, is it not? Does it not sound like a large predator who has finally lost a fight and found itself in its death throes, roaring out its anger and frustration at underestimating its opponent?"

Rose purses her lips, her eyes brimming with amusement, and nods once. "Yes, it does actually. Or like an angry grizzly being awakened from hibernation by someone repetitively poking it."

"Why is it I can picture that as something Emmett would suggest as a 'fun' activity on a boring rainy day?"

"Maybe you really are his little sister. You seem to operate on the same wavelength," Rose banters.

"Sure, he's my brother from another mother . . . . and father. He's my soul sibling. Yeah, that's it! I'm coining a new phrase. You two are my 'soul siblings'. That's why I feel a familial connection to you."

"Hmmm," Rose hums thoughtfully. "Do you really feel a connection to us?"

"Yes, actually I do. I know it sounds weird, but I feel like you're supposed to be part of my family and my life somehow."

"How odd," she mutters quietly. "It's obvious you're abnormally comfortable with us, and we're unusually comfortable being close to you too, well, except for Edward. I wonder what Carlisle will make of this."

"Oh, yes, let's ask him!"

She raises her eyebrow and stares into your twinkling eyes. She waits without saying a word, applying one of the age old techniques in getting someone to admit everything they know. The recipient is supposed to start babbling nervously to cover the awkward silence and let her secrets slip unintentionally. Luckily, you're aware of it and can wait her out long enough for class to start.

Sure enough, the teacher calls the class to order. You smirk and shrug, before turning to face the front. Rose narrows her eyes in response, but there's nothing she can do, so you win that little battle.

Pretending to pay attention to the instructor, you relax and think back over what just happened in the parking lot, now that you have time to process it without interruption. That brief glance over your shoulder had been quite revealing. Tuning out your surroundings, you allow yourself to get lost in thought.

_Alice was smugly triumphant about whatever she saw in her vision. The wind shifted only seconds later, catching Edward off guard. I guess my attempts at changing and masking my scent didn't work the way I'd hoped, since he still tried to eat me. That has to be what Alice saw in her vision.  
><em>

_Would she really be triumphant about Edward attacking me in broad daylight in front of witnesses though? Why would she risk the exposure of her family and the wrath of the Volturi? She must know I'm after Jasper. I guess playing 'Dixie' for him wasn't terribly subtle on my part. Or maybe she's just mad that I refuse to be her dress-up doll and shopping victim._

_My optimistic, compassionate side can't believe Alice is cold-hearted and selfish enough to be smug over Edward killing me. After all, Edward would be utterly devastated if he succeeded in draining an innocent. She knows how it would make him feel! She didn't look like she gave a damn about Edward at all to me._

_In the split second between being told to run and looking over my shoulder, Jasper had dropped Edward face down on the asphalt, _without a sound. At least they were mostly blocked from the view of the crowd, being sandwiched between the Volvo and the truck._ Jasper was kneeling on top of Edward, one leg pinning Edward's legs down, the other knee digging into his back, between his shoulder blades. Jasper had Edward's arms awkwardly pulled up behind him, holding both wrists in one of his hands. I think if Jasper tugged any harder, he'd have pulled Edward's arms right out of their sockets. His other hand gripped Edward's hair, holding his head still and pushing his face in the road. I wonder if he made a faceprint. Jasper's teeth were bared and dripping venom, hovering a mere inch over the back of Edward's neck._

_Alice was alternating between shoving Jasper's shoulder and shaking her fists at him. She fussed at him with wild gestures and even stomped her foot in a childish tantrum. Jasper paid her no more attention than he would a pesky gnat, not bothering to look in her direction nor acknowledge her in any way. Not surprisingly, it only made her angrier. I wish I'd had more than a few seconds to evaluate the scene.  
><em>

_Alice couldn't possibly have been oblivious to the crowd of nosy students, all excited about the possibility of a fight and hoping the 'perfect' Cullens would finally get in trouble. She didn't try to help Edward at all, too busy cussing out Jasper. As far as I could tell, s_he wasn't angry at Edward for nearly exposing them, but at Jasper for stopping him! _Maybe there were more reasons for her to be in that asylum when she was human than just her visions. She seems a little mentally unbalanced. Who am I kidding? She's downright scary, especially since the insane aren't swayed by logic and reason, and now she wants me dead. Not cool! _

_Of course, feral Jasper protecting and defending me is mega hot too, even if I was too scared to really appreciate it at the time. Little mister mind reader finally found out what it felt like to engage in a real fight with a soldier. Wonder boy's gift didn't help him at all to defend against Jasper's skill, experience, and instincts. _

_That brings up an interesting point though. Jasper chose to defend, rather than attack, even when exposed to Edward's bloodlust, so my little scent experiment must be working to some extent, right? If everybody was thirsting over me, wouldn't it have pushed Jasper over the edge to attack me too? __Rose said they were unusually comfortable close to me, which may mean it's working somewhat, just not enough to fully block the 'singer' aspect. After all, Rose's and Emmett's eyes didn't darken at all, even though they were close enough to touch me and were downwind when we first met.__  
><em>

__Honestly, it hasn't even been 24 hours since I started trying to make changes to my scent. I still think it's a good idea. I'm not giving up hope yet.  
><em>_

_Oh, shit! Was that the bell? Man, this class went by quickly!_

You return to reality, blushing when you see Rose standing beside you holding your backpack with all your belongings packed neatly inside. Her face is impassive, other than the 'bitch' brow she's giving you, but the hint of mischief in her eyes alerts you to the true state of her feelings. You chuckle and shrug, standing up and taking your bag from her.

She smirks and lightly complains, as she escorts you to your next class, "You're going to give me a complex, you know. What kind of bitch am I, if I can't even intimidate a little punk like you?"

"Aw, come on, Rosie, even the Wicked Witch of the West loved her sister, right? I mean, if somebody drops a house on me, then steals my shoes, you'll get her and her little dog too, right?"

Rose bursts into laughter, the joyful, tinkling sound drawing the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Most of the faces are shocked, as if it had suddenly started raining marshmallows. It draws Emmett like a magnet, as he can't resist the need to bask in his mate's momentary happiness. He beams at both of us, love, gratitude, and hope shining in his eyes.

_I wonder if she's ever laughed here at school in the two and a half years they've been here?_

"Hey, Babe," he greets enthusiastically. He gives me a nod. "Sis. So, if you're the Witch, then who am I?"

"The scarecrow obviously," Jasper quips, joining us in the hallway. He sings, "If you only had a brain . . ."

Emmett pouts and asks, "Well, what about you?"

"He's certainly not the cowardly lion," you remark.

"How would you know?" Rose questions suspiciously.

Raising both eyebrows, you reply, "He didn't hesitate to jump Edward and take him down, so he wouldn't hurt anyone, now did he?"

"True," she acquiesces with a small smile. "Way to go, Jay, you did a good job."

"I'm the tin man," Jasper decides, changing the subject back to the frivolous. "I need a new heart. Mine doesn't work anymore."

Laughing, you retort, "Your heart works fine just the way it is."

"I don't wanna be the scarecrow," Emmett whines, poking out his bottom lip.

"You know, I was never scared of the witch when I was a kid. It was those damn flying monkeys that gave me nightmares," you admit.

"Oh, yeah! The flying monkeys! They're cool! I'll be the head of the flying monkeys," Em crows. Rose shakes her head and rolls her eyes, though she's still got a small smile on her face.

"Sure," you agree. "The Monkey General reported directly to the witch and performed her bidding, satisfying her every whim without complaint. Yep, that sounds about right."

This startles a chuckle from Rose, and she smirks at you with a look of approval. "You just might be worth keeping around for a little while, if only for the entertainment value."

Rolling your eyes, you dryly thank her.

"Hey, no fair ganging up on me!" Emmett protests.

Rose and you give each other a look and snicker evilly.

"Oh, shit," Em mutters, pretending to be horrified. "What have I done?"

"You're in trouble now," Jasper taunts playfully.

Em gives a mock shudder and announces, "C'mon, Rosie, we've got to bolt. It's almost time for the warning bell." Grabbing her hand, he leads her away. She gives one quick wave before moving away with him.

You turn to enter your classroom and feel a slight tug on the back of your jeans from someone pulling on one of your belt loops. You pause and feel Jasper move up behind you, closing the gap to a mere inch between you. The whole back of your body tingles into awareness, and your breath catches in anticipation.

Even though you aren't facing him, you can hear the smirk in his voice, as his chilly breath brushes your ear. "You've got a few too many aces up your sleeves, little darlin'," he croons. "And I aim to find them, no matter how much I need to _strip_ away in my _search_ to be certain I got them all. You're going to meet me after school, just the two of us, and I'm going to uncover all your hidden secrets, until _I'm satisfied_ I know every inch of you."

_Holy shit!_

"Don't forget to breathe, darlin'," he purrs, placing a quick, soft kiss on your neck.

You inhale sharply and raise your hand up to your neck, where you can still feel the chill of his lips. It feels slightly damp as you rub your finger over it. Jasper chuckles, watching you, and moves around you to enter the classroom, leaving you staring after him from the hallway.

_What kind of game is he playing? What about Alice?_

You stumble into the room, walking up to the American History teacher in a daze. While waiting for the paper to be returned, your eyes drift to the central dry erase board.

_Seriously? We're going to be studying the Civil War? What is this - some kind of cliché fan fiction? _

Groaning, you accept the sign-in sheet from the teacher, and join Jasper in the second row, where he had saved you a seat to his left.


	9. Messing With the Major

**Chapter 8 - Messing with the Major**

For fun, you decide to start humming 'Dixie', which of course instantly garners Jasper's attention.

"How do you know that song?" he quietly demands.

"Catchy, isn't it? I found it on youtube," you inform him, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Isn't it amazing what you can find on the internet?"

"Hmmm," he murmurs suspiciously, though you've told the truth. "Indeed it is. What other _interesting_ things have you found?"

Wanting to mess with him a bit, the way he had done to you in the hall, you wink at him and smile, eyelids dropping to half-mast. "Did you know there's a website dedicated to fan fiction that allows you to write and publish your own stories involving the author's characters, for free? I usually only read the stories with a mature rating, and they've been quite . . . _educational_. Some of the extremely graphic scenes I've read depict step-by-step instructions on how to please and be pleased by the one you love. I didn't even know some of those things were possible. Who needs the Kama Sutra when you can read _this_ stuff for free? The only thing missing is the pictures, though I think it's probably a lot better that way, since we can use our imaginations to put ourselves in place of the main characters."

His eyes are wide and pitch black, as he stares at you. His flared nostrils are inhaling quickly and deeply, and the tip of his tongue keeps flicking out to brush his bottom lip. His fists are clenched, and his muscles are all locked, as if it's taking a great deal of restraint to remain in place.

You briefly glance down to his lap and smirk when you see the tightness of his jeans. As you watch, the bulge continues to grow, and you lick your lips in anticipation, wondering if the tip of his cock will actually peek out beyond his waistband. Unfortunately, between blinks, his shirt becomes untucked and is now covering his groin. Disappointed, you unconsciously poke out your bottom lip a bit.

Before you can even raise your eyes to his, you get a huge case of goosebumps, and all the little hairs on your body stand on end. There's a strange pulsating hum in your chest, similar to the reverberations you get from large speakers blasting heavy bass.

_My Spidey senses are tingling_, you think, confused. _If ever there was a feeling that could be best described that way, this is it. It isn't the same as the menace I felt from Alice or when Edward was about to pounce and have me for breakfast._

By this time, your eyes are staring into onyx pools that are drawing you in with the gravity of miniature black holes, making everything around you cease to exist in your conscious mind. You reach out and touch his chest without even realizing what you've done and feel the vibrations through your bones.

_He's growling, too low for me to hear_, you realize. _He wants to pounce and eat me, alright, but not in a bad way._

Your whole body responds to his subsonic sounds, pulling toward him, trying to get closer. You feel drawn to him, your whole body resonating to the vibrations from his chest, as if responding instinctively to a mating call. _Is that what this is? I've never read about vampires doing something like this. It's more like something off of Animal Planet._

Your arousal permeates the air so strongly, even you can smell it. Startled and dismayed, you squirm uncomfortably in your seat. _Why is this happening? Why am I responding this way? I've never felt like this before, like an animal in heat, desperate to mate. Is he affecting me with his gift, getting his revenge for my teasing? I need to stop touching him - his gift is overwhelming me!_

You try to pull your hand away from his chest, but your body rebels, refusing to obey your mind's command. You stare down at your unresponsive limb in shock, starting to panic. _How can I have lost control of my own body? Has he hypnotized me? _

He starts nuzzling your neck, licking, kissing, and nipping at it, his growl morphing into an audible purr. Your head drops back of its own accord, allowing him better access, and the pleasure center in your brain starts drowning out the worried voices of propriety, rationality, morality, reason, and self-preservation. The 'voices' in your mind are all clamoring for attention as you argue with yourself between what you need, what you want, what you desire, and what you think is best.

Before things can go any further, the sound of a book falling off a desk and slamming against the floor jolts you back into awareness of your surroundings.

_Holy shit! I just made out with Jasper in the middle of a classroom, in full view of the teacher and students!_

You try to pull away from him, but his embrace keeps you in place. You jerk your head around, eyes flying everywhere, as you anxiously take in the damage, expecting every eye to be on the two of you. Instead, to your bewilderment, everyone is looking at the kid who accidentally knocked his book off his desk. Even the teacher, Mr. Norman, is watching the poor boy impatiently, his body language distinctly indicating annoyance.

Sensing your puzzlement as to the lack of audience to your 'private' moment, Jasper chuckles and murmurs, "The apathy of others can make ones actions essentially invisible. You see it in major cities all the time."

You open your mouth to question him, but he shakes his head and puts a finger over your lips. He then pushes his notebook slightly toward you, in which he has written, 'The walls have ears.'

You realize he is referring to his family and decide to hold your tongue for now.

Moving away from the embarrassed teen, Mr. Norman clears his throat and addresses the class. "It's time to get started. Who can tell me the main reason for the Civil War? Why did the South secede from the Union?"

Arms shoot up all around the room, yours being one of them. Jasper looks at you curiously, raising an eyebrow. Mr. Norman calls on one of the varsity football players, who is joking around with his buddies.

"'Cause they were lazy ass barbarians who wanted to keep forcing black people to do their work for them while they sat around drinking tea and shit," the boy replied. Mr. Norman gave him a stern look, but didn't bother to mention his language.

_Now see, this is why the country is going to hell in a hand basket_, you mentally protest. _Nobody respects anybody anymore, and too few take the time to check their facts and think things through before spewing out their opinions forcefully._

"Hmmm," Mr. Norman hummed, not replying. "Yes, Megan?"

"They didn't want the North telling them what to do. The North didn't need slaves, because they were industrial, whereas the South was agricultural. So it was easy for the Northerners to outlaw slavery, but the Southerners believed it would cripple their economy."

Mr. Norman appeared impressed. "Good, Megan. You're on the right track!" His head turns to you and smiles slightly to see your hand raised. "How about you, Miss Swan?"

Taking a deep breath, you begin to briefly explain what you've learned. "The South seceded over states' rights. The North wanted to place most of the power in the hands of a central government, while the South wanted most of the power to be in the hands of the individual states. Southerners argued that the industrial northern states had different issues, problems, constituents, objectives, and responsibilities than the agricultural southern states. They believed a central government would not be able to understand and meet the needs of all the states appropriately and only wanted a minimal amount of federal laws, with individual states writing and enforcing the majority of the laws for their own citizens."

Jasper is heartily radiating pride and respect, practically glowing as he beams at you and nods. Mr. Norman is staring at you with his mouth open, astonished by your college level response.

Before the teacher recovers, one of the cheerleader types, flutters her eyelashes at the football player who first responded, then chimes, "Oh, please! Everybody knows the war was about slavery. The South was full of prejudiced rednecks who couldn't stand the idea of blacks becoming citizens, so they started a war over it." She looks to the jock for approval, rather than the teacher, who is grimacing and shaking his head at her.

Taking up the challenge, you calmly reply, "Actually, the Union started the War of the Northern Aggression, by invading and attacking the Confederacy. Most men joined the Confederate army to protect their homes and families. They wanted to keep their houses, farms, livestock, women, and children safe from the invaders. They had no thought of whether or not slavery would be abolished. On the contrary, free Southern black men fought alongside the white men in the Confederate army, in integrated units. The Union army, on the other hand, segregated the black soldiers into their own separate units, headed by white officers. Speaking of prejudice, the subsequent United States Army didn't desegregate their units until 1951."

"Even though the North as a whole was morally opposed to slavery, they didn't want escaped slaves to come to their states and didn't know what to do with the ones who did. Some states outlawed them from even entering the state. Many favored the idea of shipping the runaways back to Africa, but the cost was too high," Jasper adds. "It's somewhat similar to what's been happening in the Middle East, with some countries forbidding entrance to refugees and others keeping the refugees in substandard camps near their borders. Anyone who thinks the North was open-minded and benevolent in regard to non-Caucasians, need only investigate the plights of the immigrants, who worked in the factories, mines, and sweatshops of the North. They may have been technically 'free', but most were just as owned and mistreated by the companies they worked for as the slaves in the South were by their 'masters'. Try listening to the old song, 'I Owe My Soul to the Company Store'.

"What about Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation?" another girl asks with confusion.

Snorting, you elucidate, "The real reason Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation was to prevent Britain from sending aid to the South and officially recognizing the Confederacy as a legitimate new nation. Due to Lincoln's tactic, France and Britain couldn't support or recognize them without seeming pro-slavery. Lincoln also hoped to rally the miserably low morale of the troops by giving them a noble, moral reason to fight. It didn't work though, since, for the most part, both the public and the Union soldiers were apathetic toward the plight of the slaves. It also didn't abolish slavery except in the states that didn't rejoin the Union by the deadline. It was still perfectly legal and acceptable in any state that did rejoin the Union."

"Well, that's fucking hypocritical!" another student screeched angrily.

"Language! I don't want to have to start handing out detentions," Mr. Norman barked, wagging his finger chidingly. His eyes were bright, his cheeks flushed, his expression full of excitement and joy. I knew he was thrilled to see the interest and class participation, even if none of us were raising our hands. At least we were being respectful enough to take turns so far.

"The new girl is obviously one of those Nazi white supremists," one girl snidely remarks with a huff. "The War of the Northern Aggression? I bet she belongs to the KKK."

Rolling your eyes at her, you correct her. "I think you meant supremacist, as supremist isn't a word. Regardless, I do not suffer delusions of any race of human bearing superiority over another. It really doesn't matter what color somebody's skin is. I seriously doubt a predator would stop to choose between white meat and dark meat. All humans are the same on the inside - everybody's blood runs red."

_Hmm, I wonder if people of other nations taste differently based on their diets. I doubt Carlisle knows the answer to that. I'll ask the Volturi if I have the misfortune to meet them. Truthfully, once you add vampires to the picture it's petty to try to place one race or nationality over another. Especially considering the slowest, weakest vampire could still beat all the Earth's Olympic gold medalists without even trying. _

Jasper's hand moves over his mouth to hide his grin, though he is still watching you speculatively.

"Really, Brandy," a boy sneers at the girl. "The KKK were a reaction to the Civil Rights movement, not the Civil War. You're so clueless, you can't even stay on topic."

"I still think they should've stuck to calling it the War Between the States, as there was nothing _civil_ about the way it was fought," you mutter.

Jasper starts packing his notebook and bookbag up, causing you to glance over at the clock.

_Wow, this class is almost over! That was fast._

Following his lead you start packing up your stuff too. Seeing what we're doing, the rest of the class also gets ready to go.

"Wait, I still have five minutes before the bell," the teacher protests. Several students groan. Satisfied he has the class's attention, he assigns a research project. "Each of you need to choose a military figure from either the Union or Confederate army. I want a three to four page paper detailing why you chose that person, what his contribution to the war effort was, and what you would've done differently in his place."

"Oooh, I know just whom I'm going to choose," you coo excitedly.

"Oh? And who might that be?" Jasper asks inquisitively.

"A certain Confederate major," you smirk.

His eyebrows shoot up and his eyes widen in consternation, "Really? Major who?"

Shrugging you murmur, "Oh, he's not named in the account I read, but he played a significant role in the first Battle of Galveston."

His eyes sharpened considerably, like lasers that could peel away all your protective layers of subterfuge to find your deepest, darkest secrets. "Tell me more," he demanded.

You raise your eyebrow imperiously. "Excuse me? Do I look like a minion to you?"

"Please, won't you tell me more about this major?" he purrs seductively.

You close your eyes, lick your lips, and shudder with desire, part of you wanting nothing more than to do anything and everything he asks. Then, pulling up determination from some heretofore untapped well of inner strength, you look him straight in the eye, simpering enticingly, and flirt, "Sorry, you'll just have to wait and read the paper."

He narrows his eyes and snaps his teeth at you in displeasure, but you don't feel threatened, having subconsciously decided he means you no harm, now or in the future.

The bell rings, and he helps you out of your seat, handing you a small note.

_'Don't forget about our meeting after school. Keep quiet about our connection for now, pretend we're 'just friends'. It is very important for our future. I'll explain more later.'_

As soon as you nod in understanding, the paper disappears and dust floats from Jasper's fingers. He escorts you to Gym, your next class, before heading off to his own class.

You go get a uniform from the coach and get dressed in the locker room. Coming into the gym a few minutes after the rest of the girls, you see them all performing stretching exercises under the guidance of one of the athletic boys. To your great pleasure, you notice a very bored Emmett in the back and hurry over to sit next to him.

"Hey, Brother Bear!" you whisper excitedly.

His entire countenance instantly shifts, and he joyfully offers you his fist for a fist bump. You both follow along with the student leader, as he directs the class in toe touches, crunches, leg lifts, jumping jacks, and other warm-up exercises. The next time he actually inhales, rather than faking breathing, he freezes for a second, a look of befuddlement crossing his face.

Turning his head to me he inquires accusingly, "Why do you smell like Jasper?"

You freeze, blinking up at him blankly. _Oh, shit! What should I say? Jasper told me to keep my mouth shut. Dammit! He's the one that fucking licked me! Let him answer the damn question._

Taking a deep breath, you deliberately sniff a few times, then shrug dismissively. "I don't know. I don't smell anything."

"Right," Emmett nods slowly, hesitating. "Um, have you been around Jasper this morning?"

Smiling widely you nod and proclaim, "Oh, yeah, of course. He has American History with me second period; we sat right next to each other. He helped me up and with my backpack, and then kindly escorted me to the gym."

"Hmm, I see," Emmett mutters, eyeing me closely. "Did he do anything . . . odd?"

"Odd?" You tap your bottom lip and stare at the wall, as if considering it carefully. After a few seconds, you shrug again. "I don't think so. Maybe you should ask him?"

"Yeah, I think I will," Emmett agrees frowning. He inhales deeply again and nods. "Definitely going to ask him."

You have a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. _I've always thought Emmett doesn't get enough credit, though I think he wants others to underestimate him. Considering even the least intelligent vampire is supposedly smart enough to make Albert Einstein look like a mere schoolboy, I'm betting he sees and understands more than he lets everyone else believe. Emmett's simple, easy-going, easily pleased, and easily entertained nature leads him to behave in what is considered a 'childlike' way._

_There's a big difference between 'childlike' and 'childish'. Children tend to be full of enthusiasm and curiosity, willing to try new things, and able to make most activities into a game, competition, or an adventure, while adults tend to be jaded, cynical, and hesitant to risk rejection or failure. In that way, Emmett is more like a child than an adult, which means he brings something special to the family, even if he's technically not gifted. His playfulness helps keep the others from getting too static and set in their ways._

_Emmett's fierce love and loyalty to his family also encourages him to be the class clown, the comedic relief, to ease tensions and keep the family functioning as a unit. It's similar to the way Jasper uses his gift to maintain calm, so harsh, damaging words and actions are not spawned in anger to cause painful rifts between family members which are later regretted. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. With perfect vampire memories, cruel words and actions can never truly be forgotten. That must be why vampires can carry grudges for centuries._

_Plus, we all know Edward's gift can be blocked. It would be a truly devious strategy to make Edward think you can't keep anything from him, by deliberately 'slipping' in your thoughts about secrets that aren't critical. That way, he'd believe you can't keep anything from him and would never suspect it when you did. Is Emmett really as simple and straightforward of thought as Edward believes, or is thinking of Rosalie in sexual positions actually a cover for thinking about things he doesn't want Edward to know?_

You can't wait to see how Jasper handles Emmett at lunch.


	10. Lunch Lies

**Chapter 9 - Lunch Lies**

Every time he inhales throughout the remainder of gym class, Emmett gives you a befuddled, but speculative look. Each time you shrug it off, feigning ignorance.

_Hey, Emmett's not the only one who can pretend to be oblivious and easily bemused._

As soon as class is dismissed, you hurry into the locker room and purchase some shampoo from the old-fashioned vending machine inside, grateful you happen to have exact change in your wallet. Grabbing one of the coarse, threadbare towels provided by the school and hopping quickly into one of the available shower stalls, you pull the curtain closed and undress in the tight space. You slather the sickeningly floral smelling shampoo all over your skin, paying particular attention to your neck area.

_How could Jasper have forgotten about the smell issue? Surely he would have known Emmett would smell him all over me when he chose to lick me in the first place. I hope he has a good excuse for it too, because right now, I've got nothing. Nothing that would make his and my behavior sound even remotely acceptable, without mentioning the connection that seems to pulse between us._

You rinse multiple times, rubbing the skin with your hands, hoping to decrease any leftover chemical aromas from the perfumes in the shampoo. The extra time spent in the shower causes you to have to scurry to get dressed and race for your next class, Spanish 3. Jasper is waiting for you inside, saving you a seat right next to him.

He frowns and quietly demands, "Why did it take you so long to get here?"

"It was gym. I had to take a shower," you crossly retort, rolling your eyes and pulling out your pen and notebook.

You start copying down the vocabulary words written on the front board, while he leans in and deliberately sniffs you. After the first inhale, he stiffens and begins growling so lowly you can feel the vibrations through the air, but can't hear the sound associated with it.

"You washed away my scent!" he accuses, sounding deeply offended.

Your eyes flash to his, and you can see the hurt prominently displayed in the darkness there. Before you can explain, you see him tense with a pondering look on his face, as if tuning in to a radio frequency only he can hear. Guessing he's listening to one of his family members, you rapidly write: '_Sorry, Emmett asked me about having your scent on me, and I didn't know how to explain_.'

He glances at the message, then nods and squeezes your hand in understanding. Watching you out of the corner of his eye, he whispers, "Were you oblivious to the way Edward lost control of himself this morning, Emmett? What is the only thing that will stop him mid-hunt? That's right, a threat, a need for self-preservation. The scent of another claiming his intended victim will either force him to become rational enough to make a conscious decision, or at the very least cause him to pause long enough for one of us to catch up and intervene."

At first, you are impressed with his logic. _It does make sense. If Edward starts hunting me, Jasper's scent will tell him I've been claimed by another vampire. His instincts will then know that attacking me will lead to a fight with the vampire who's already claimed me for himself. Edward is most likely to either back down completely or at least investigate a little more, if he assumes I've been marked as dinner or as a pet for another. _

Then your thought processes toss out another curve ball. _Wait a minute. What if that's all that happened between us? What if he was only marking me for the sake of his family and preventing their exposure like he just said? What if he was playing with my emotions so I would allow him to do it? Or if he was overcome by MY emotions, such that my own lust, respect, and love reflected back onto me? _

You shake your head, to rid yourself of your doubts._ No, that can't be true. Otherwise, he wouldn't have warned me about not mentioning the connection between us and talked about our future. OUR future. Right? It wasn't just to hide his dalliance from Alice and the others, was it?_

"Don't worry, Rose, I promise to be careful. Emmett was the one who called attention to it, remember?" he whispered again, bringing your wrist up to his mouth and leaving open-mouthed kisses on your pulse point. Keeping his volume just barely loud enough for you to hear sitting right next to him, he continues, "I'm not the one you need to fear ruining everything, guys. I'm not the one who attempted to attack, nor the one who _knew_ it would happen and was disappointed it _failed_. Think about _that_, before you try to lecture _me_ on inconspicuous behavior."

Whatever his siblings replied must have pleased him, as he was soon sporting a smug, satisfied grin. Using his hold on your wrist, he pulls you inexorably forward, until you are leaning diagonally across his lap, as if trying to reach something on the other side of him. Feeling his cool fingers slide under your t-shirt and along the skin of your lower back, you shiver involuntarily from the sensation and rapidly scan the room. Once again, not a single person is looking in your direction. The entire class is completely uninterested in anything occurring in the back corner of the room.

_If he has the power to do this, why doesn't he use it to keep everyone from ogling and talking about the family? Another question to ask after school. Maybe I should start writing these down before I forget them._

Trusting Jasper to keep any potential audience at bay, you relax and enjoy his ministrations. He leisurely licks your neck, nibbling on your earlobe and along your jaw. He exhales several times into your hair, and you remember the odor wars between Edward and Jacob in Eclipse. Meanwhile, the hand under your shirt has made a slow, meandering path all over your back, massaging the tension from your muscles. You didn't even realize how tense you'd been until you feel how relaxed you are now.

You feel as floppy as a rag doll, with no desire to move from your current spot, unless it's to move even closer to Jasper. _Straddling him would be nice_, you think with a quiet moan.

"MINE!" Jasper breathes into your ear, so quietly you aren't even certain he said anything or if you simply imagined it.

When the bell rings, you realize you've spent the entire class period being fondled by Jasper without hearing a bit of what the teacher taught.

"Oh, shit!" You moan. "I didn't hear a word of that. I hope you were taking mental notes, because you're going to have to tutor me now, or else I'll fail. As a matter of fact, I'm liable to fail out of high school entirely if you keep distracting me like this."

Helping you stand and making sure your muscles are working again, he sends you amused reassurance. "I won't let you fail," he promises.

He gathers your things in addition to his own and offers you his arm to escort you to lunch.

"Great, now we'll be the center of attention for sure," you groan. "Unless you work your mojo again."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," he hesitantly admits. "We could always spend the lunch period talking in your truck . . ."

_I'm starving, but I'd choose alone time with Jasper over food any time_, you think, opening your mouth to agree. Unfortunately, your stomach chooses that moment to growl like a ferocious grizzly bear on the prowl for prey.

"Nevermind," he teases. "We'd best feed your inner beast before it decides to devour you from the inside out."

"Thanks," you grumble sarcastically, rolling your eyes. "You're so sweet."

"Who's sweet?" Emmett demands, turning the corner and pulling Rosalie along by the hand. His large ground-eating steps swallow up the distance between you in seconds.

"Jasper, of course. His pretty compliments are enough to turn a girl's head," you mutter sarcastically. Rose raises her eyebrows in question, but Emmett immediately becomes defensive.

"Is that so? Trying to turn my little sis's head, Jazzy? Aren't you in a long term relationship with my other sister?" he growls, grabbing your stuff out of Jasper's hands and adding it to the other two bags he's already carrying. He looks a little silly wearing three backpacks, but it doesn't bother him in the slightest. "Have you forgotten about your girlfriend? The love of your existence who brought you up out of the depths of depression, introduced you to our family, and showed you a whole new way to live? The name Alice ringing any bells there, Major?"

He wraps his massive arm around your shoulders, pulling you away from Jasper and into his side instead.

"No of course I haven't forgotten Alice," Jasper drawls in a bored tone, appearing a bit put out with Em's caveman behavior. "She'd never let me hear the end of it if I did." He sends you a quick jolt of apology and reassurance, while Emmett gives him a hard, accusatory look.

"Seriously, Em?" you chide irritably, sending a stream of understanding Jasper's way. "I was being _sarcastic_. He called me a _hungry beast_. That's hardly likely to have me swooning."

To accentuate your comments, your stomach growls fiercely again. It takes Emmet by surprise and distracts him from Jasper, at least for a little while.

"Damn, Sister Bear, you've been holding out on us!" He proclaims, looking down at your tummy with awe. "What kind of monster are you hiding in there?"

"Gee, I don't know," you mock. "Maybe it's an irritable grizzly, just awoken from hibernation. Careful! If you poke it, it might bite."

"Really?" he replies doubtfully. "I'm betting you'd react more like the Pillsbury Dough Boy if I poked your belly."

"Wow, Rose, you really got yourself a catch here. Is he always such a silver-tongued devil? He's got such a way with words," you drawl, sarcasm as thick as tar coating your voice. "He's likely to turn my head with his wit and charm, if you're not careful."

Rose snickers. "Well he does have a wickedly talented tongue, but not when he's using it for talking."

Emmett grins widely, showing off his dimples. "Now, now, sister. I know I'm virtually irresistible, but my body belongs exclusively to Rosie, so you're just going to have to find a way to keep from falling head over heels for me."

"Oh, dear, how ever will I manage?" you snark back. "Well, since I'd rather be called a hungry beast than a giggling dough boy, I guess I'll stick with Jasper for now."

You pull away from Emmett and walk in between the two boys without touching either of them. You can't help but notice Jasper's relief when you're no longer touching his brother and hope the others aren't as attuned to him as you've become.

"Sure, Jasper would make a great _big brother _too," Emmett agrees warningly. "I know he was raised to be a _gentleman_, just like I was. Right, Jasper?"

"Absolutely," Jasper returns smoothly. Emmett eyes him searchingly, then relaxes and is all smiles again.

The rest of lunch is spent getting to know one another without all the tension. Emmett seems to feel like he did his part in protecting you and making sure Jasper wasn't taking advantage of you with his gift or natural vampiric appeal.

Conversation is a tad bit stilted at first, until you ask what Edward's problem is. Rose quickly gets the conversational ball rolling, telling anecdotes to illustrate all the reasons he annoys the hell out of her. Emmett can't resist adding his own funny stories to the mix, and even Jasper chimes in with a few memories here or there.

All too soon time is up and the vampires gather their trays full of uneaten food together to throw away.

"That's so wasteful, conspicuously and ostentatiously so," you warn them, grabbing the fruit, chips, and unopened drinks off their trays to stuff in your backpack. "You really shouldn't buy food if you're not going to eat it, or at least take home what you don't eat. You should consider bringing lunch from home or spending this time somewhere other than the cafeteria, rather than openly wasting your money like this. Spending all this money on food, then throwing it away untouched is insulting and offensive to students for whom the free breakfast and lunch provided by the school are the only meals they eat."

"Chief Swan's not that poor," Rosalie huffs. "You don't need to horde food like a squirrel gather nuts for winter."

"I wasn't referring to myself, Rosalie," you scold.

"No, she's right," Jasper jumps in, eyebrows raised. "I never really thought about it, but there are those who notice and feel resentful about the amount we throw away."

"Yeah, there's a couple kids who usually visit the trash can shortly after we do. They gather around it, trying to cover up what they're doing, but I've seen them pull stuff out of there before and tuck it in their pockets or bags," Emmett admits.

"Really?" Rose asks, horrified and slightly disgusted. He nods guiltily.

"You know, some schools have a place where you can put untouched foods, like whole fresh fruit, and unopened containers, like milk and juice cartons. The school can't accept that food back to sell again, but they can make it available for other students to take home, rather than throwing it all away. Some kids invariably want to share or trade parts of their lunches. This makes the swapping available to everyone, not just close friends."

"That's a good idea," Rose comments slowly, looking impressed. "Not difficult to implement either."

They stand to leave, and you frown. "I feel a bit guilty about taking all this food, now that I know there are hungry students who have come to rely upon it. I think I'll just set it on top of the table for now, so it can be clean when they come to claim it."

You quickly pull all the items back out of your bag and put them in a pile at the end of the table. Jasper snags your bag and offers to escort you to your next class.

"I've got Photography next," you murmur, taking his arm and delighting in his close proximity.

"Oh, Photography? That should be a familiar path for you, Jasper. Doesn't _Alice_ have that class next too?" Emmett stresses, clearly unhappy with the amount of attention Jasper is showing you and your reaction to it.

_Is he reminding __Jasper__ or __me__ that Jay is otherwise committed? _You wonder. _My feelings are likely written all over my face and shining through my eyes, so probably me. He doesn't want me to get my heart broken by falling in love with a married man, and he's got a good point. I need to hold myself back from so eagerly following my heart, until I'm certain he's no longer with the controlling, manipulative witch. _

_I refuse to demean myself by becoming the other woman, and I've already crossed the line of acceptability multiple times today. If I were in Alice's shoes, and I found out my mate was licking and nibbling another girl's face and neck, I'd rip his balls off and toss them over the treaty line to become play toys for the wolves. I wouldn't be happy with the other girl, but the true offender would be my mate, and my wrath would be directed accordingly. I guess I shouldn't judge Alice so harshly without knowing the full story of their relationship, since I'm not sure I'd act any better than she did._

Jasper led you unerringly to the correct classroom while you were lost in thought. You give him a troubled smile as you take your bag, then enter the room without a word or a wave goodbye.

Photography passes by quickly, and you sincerely enjoy it, except for the knowledge that Alice would be in this class with you as of tomorrow and would even be sitting right next to you, sharing a computer with you. It doesn't escape your notice that the seat beside you is the only empty one in the room. The teacher mentions a partner project, and you internally groan.

_Great. Just what I need._

You find you're starting to miss Jasper and hope he's in your last class with you, though your anticipation is already building for your after school meeting.

_What's going to happen when there are no witnesses and no interruptions to stop us? No! Remember, clear up the matter of the evil soon-to-be ex first_, you remind yourself.

You stop by your locker to drop off the books you don't need and pick up your binder for math. Finding your own way to class this time, you are pleasantly surprised to see both Jasper and Rosalie in the class, with a seat saved in between them.

With Rose watching his every move, Jasper is much more circumspect in his greeting and subsequent behavior. You start feeling grumpy that Jasper is so close, yet still untouchable, unreachable, and unattainable. He sends you some patience, which curls and twines around you like a cat. You peer at him, startled and intrigued.

_There's a new emotion. I don't remember Meyer mentioning that one. I can't imagine why not. It seems like a particularly useful one. I wonder how often he's used it with Alice and Emmett._

The first half of Math class is spent going over last night's homework and discussing the most commonly missed problems. Luckily, it seems fairly straightforward to you. You decide to get a head start on the homework listed on the board, rather than paying attention and taking notes, figuring the example problems in the book will tell you everything you need to know. You get started working diligently, hoping to finish before class ends, so you can leave your heavy math book at school, instead of carting it home and back.

You turn the page in your notebook and pause in dread and abhorrence as you stare at the drawing you just uncovered. It is an artistically rendered scene of torture.

A girl is chained to a rock, her clothes tattered, covered in scratches and bruises. Insulting words have been carved and branded onto her exposed skin. Worse, she has been eviscerated, disemboweled, but is clearly still conscious and aware, even with her guts oozing out of the wound, blood dripping from the trailing intestines. All around her are birds of prey feasting on bits and pieces they've pecked from her entrails. It is reminiscent of the torture proscribed for Prometheus by Zeus. Studying the face etched with agony, misery, fear, and affliction, you know the victim depicted is unequivocally you. The level of talent and attention to detail indicate an inhuman artist, and the caption points the finger at Alice. It reads_: Such is the welcome for home-wrecking whores_.

Your blood runs cold in your body as you soak in the threat she's made against you. Issuing a mere whimper of mournful lament, you slam the notebook closed again, catching the attention of your seatmates. They promptly attempt to find out what is causing your current despondent mood and expression.

You point to the notebook, and both of them growl after seeing the picture.

"How dare she?" Jasper snarls. "She's gone too far!"

"Who would do this?" Rose demands, leaning forward to sniff the paper. It makes you curious to want to sniff the paper too, but you resist, knowing you won't be able to detect the same kinds of things they could. Her eyes widen in befuddlement. "Alice?"

Her eyes meet Jasper, and the two of them seem to have a nonverbal discussion, using only their eyes.

"This isn't good," Rose finally declares after a minute or two. "She's going off the deep end. Insane people are highly unstable and unpredictable. We need to warn Carlisle. There's no telling what she may do. Earlier today, I would've told you she'd never do something like this, so she's clearly acting out of character for herself."

You desperately wish for Jasper to comfort you by holding you close and behaving intimately, like he'd done before, but for whatever reason, he couldn't do that in front of Rose. You struggle just to make it through class and are out of your seat the second the bell rings.

Racing through the hallways, you bypass your locker and head straight for reception.

Dashing into the front office, you interrupt the secretary by flinging down the paper you had signed by all your teachers and slapping the counter in frustration, before emphatically declaring, "Mrs. Cope, I'm _really_ not interested in photography class after all. Are there any other electives available fifth period?"

Mrs. Cope frowns at you, displeased that you are making more work for her. "We already changed your schedule once, rearranging every single class for you. You need to learn to accept a little bad with the good. You aren't the only student at this school, you know. The world, the school, and this office don't revolve around you, young lady. You can't just change everything around every time something happens that you don't like."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cope, really I am. I know you're extremely busy, and I apologize for monopolizing your time like this. I realize you have a life outside this school and have other things to do. I'm desperate, Mrs. Cope and begging for a favor. Please help me, out of the goodness of your heart, even if I don't deserve it. I don't care _which_ class I take, as long as it's not _that_ one. This one girl has taken a strange dislike to me, for no apparent reason, and has threatened me. I think she really means to do me harm, and I'm terrified! I didn't do anything to her, I swear, but I think my dad may have arrested her dad or given her a speeding ticket or something, because she hates me. I didn't even say anything to her other than 'hello'."

Mrs. Cope is staring at you open-mouthed. "Who was it?"

"I-I don't want to say, just in case. Maybe she was having a bad day or something. I really don't want to get her in trouble and give her another reason to hate me. I just want to get out of her way. It's the only class we have together, so it should be easy to avoid her from now on if I change classes. I'll even take Differential Calculus as an elective -whatever it takes. Maybe I could volunteer to help out in the office during that time period as a kind of internship. I'd be happy to stuff envelopes, fill mailboxes, deliver messages, make copies, and file things. That would help you and help me at the same time. Please, Mrs. Cope?" You give her your best puppy eyes, pleading with your entire body language as well as your words. She softens dramatically with your little speech.

"Oh! I can see where being the daughter of the Chief could be problematic with those who get on the wrong side of the law," she replies sympathetically. "It's not fair to take it out on you, but some people don't care what's right. They only want revenge, no matter who gets hurt in the process."

Attacking the issue with the mindset of saving a student from being unfairly bullied by another gives her an entirely different attitude from when she believed you were just being a self-centered, spoiled brat, looking for special treatment. She starts typing on her computer with determined concentration. Her tongue pokes out of the corner of her mouth as she focuses, making you smile and try to relax a bit from your near terror and panic. You feel a wave of calm wash over you, then hear the office door open and close.

Your whole body starts feeling like there's a big balloon floating behind you that's carrying a hefty static charge, like when you rub a balloon on your sweater and then hold it up above your head and your hair stands up as if magnetically attracted to the balloon. In this case, it feels as if all your surface cells are trying to pull you toward the newest occupant of the room, letting you know it's Jasper.

_Is this the buzzing electricity Meyer was trying to describe between Edward and Bella in Biology when the movie was playing? I do have an overwhelming urge to reach out and grab him, to make skin-to-skin contact with him._

To your relief, Jasper takes another step forward and slips the tips of his fingers under your shirt. The electric charge immediately settles and warmth spreads through your muscles instead, as if you curled up under a warm blanket fresh from the dryer.

Mrs. Cope taps the pen against her lips and sighs. "I don't know, sweetie. Every class I've checked so far is full. There's no easy way to find out which class has open spots for fifth period. Our database isn't arranged that way."

"Our Forensics class could use another person," Jasper supplies helpfully.

"Oh! Mr. Hale! I didn't see you enter," she gasps, her hand going up over her heart and her cheeks flushing. Interestingly enough, she is much more nervous around Jasper than she apparently was around Edward. She doesn't look at him with bedroom eyes. Instead, her eyes are wary as she takes in his presence. You feel another wave of calm and see her visibly relax and give you both a real smile

"Forensics?" you ask. "As in debate, or as in forensic science?"

Jasper smiles. "As in debate. You have to wait for college to study forensic science, though that would be incredibly interesting."

Mrs. Cope begins tapping on her keyboard and gives a brief celebratory shout. "Got it! Well, if you'd like Isabella, I can switch you to Forensics?"

"Yes, please!" you eagerly agree. She nods and begins the process of entering the information into the computer.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Cope," you declare, relief saturating your tone. "You're a lifesaver!"

"You're welcome, dear. Here's your new schedule," she answers, beaming proudly.

"Wonderful! Thanks again!" you tell her. "Have a good evening!"

"You too!" She calls after you. As the door closes, you hear her remark to herself. "What a polite young lady."


	11. Emotional Overload

**Chapter 10 - Emotional Overload**

Out in the parking lot, Jasper reaches for your keys. You hand them over without even a token protest and allow him to assist you into the passenger side. The way your mind is racing right now, you know you wouldn't be able to concentrate on driving.

You are relieved to see an empty driveway when you arrive home and are thankful Charlie seems to be working a normal shift today. Parking the truck, Jasper pulls you out the driver's side along with him, and carries you into the house bridal style. Closing and locking the front door, he strides easily into the living room and settles onto the couch with you in his lap.

You look up into his black eyes and feel his dominance and authority grow exponentially, until the air around you seems to be crackling with it. His voice is low and gruff, full of his natural southern accent as he demands, "How do you know so much?"

"I read?" _Well, it's true._

"Don't play games," he growls warningly.

"No, really. I read all that stuff on the internet," you protest. Ah, the internet. Man's new best friend. Providing countless hours of reading pleasure with our favorite characters . . .

"I'm not referring to your knowledge of the War, little lady," he snarls. "How did you know to send me your emotions? How did you know Alice wouldn't get hypothermic in her outfit? That Rose likes to work on cars and Em has a thing for irritable grizzlies? Why were you not surprised when Edward tried to attack you? Or about our sense of smell? Or my ability to keep anyone from noticing while I licked your skin? Your comments, actions, and emotions have given you away all day. Your level of understanding and acceptance has been much too high given the behaviors you've witnessed."

Busted! Okay, so what do I tell him? I can't tell him the truth, can I? He'll think I'm nuts. Or worse, a body snatcher. Should I tell him it's a dream? Maybe I could say I visited the other dimension, my universe, in an out-of-body experience and read the information there. That's pretty close to the truth. I have no idea how to explain the whole interdimensional travel thing though, and I know he'll want answers, if only to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"Don't bother lying to me," he warns.

Oops. Guess I was taking too long to answer.

"I just know shit," you blurt out, stealing one of Peter's famous lines. You hope this Peter is like the one _IdreamofEddy_ imagined. Her version of Peter was eagerly accepted and fleshed out by the fan fiction crowd, until he took on a life of his own. The depth and regularity of his character is such that casual readers would mistake the sarcastic, fun-loving, 'I just know shit' Peter as canon, but truthfully, Meyer barely mentioned him.

"Oh, no, not another one," Jasper mutters. His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he pulls it out to read a text, which you see as well:

She's not as cool as me. ; P

Jasper groans and flips it shut, then glares at you, eyebrow raised in challenge. "Why are you so damn happy?"You are excited enough to start bouncing in Jasper's lap and notice his eyes getting darker, beginning to smolder. "Peter's a snarky, cryptic know-it-all, isn't he?"

Jasper frowns in displeasure. "Yes he is. Do you know him?" His tone takes on an accusatory edge near the end.

"No, I just know he's your brother, and he was there for you when you needed him the most," you admit.

Jasper studies you curiously and slowly nods. "What else do you know?"

"Enough. I know the basic gist of the backgrounds of your family members," you confess. "It gives me some insights into their characters, but isn't all that helpful otherwise. My info isn't all that accurate like Peter's is. For instance, my info told me you were happily marred to Alice, but after the way you've behaved today, I'm guessing that report is false. Not that I'm complaining."

He leans forward, deliberately blowing on your face, so each of your breaths are saturated with his scent. "Do you know what I am?"

"Sexy?" you breathe out, slightly dazed.

His lips twitch, but he asks again, "What am I?"

"Hot as fuck?"

His eyes darken to full black and dart down to your lips, before returning to capture and enrapture you in his seductive gaze. "Besides that."

"Everything I could ever want and more?"

His lips pull into a smile, his eyes briefly lighting with amused pleasure. "Yes, my mate, but _what_ am I?"

Your eyes widen, hearing him claim you with his words, and the only answer that makes sense in that moment is, "MINE!"

With a deep groan, he captures your lips with his, sucking your bottom lip into his mouth and running his chilly tongue along it. As if a switch has been flipped, your body begins moving of its own accord, your fingers finding their way into his curly locks, the color of ripe wheat in the late afternoon sun. You delight in the feel of his hair on your skin, like the soft, silky fur of a house cat. You give in to the urge to rub and pet his head, as you would a cat or dog, and the subsequent purring is startling and unexpected.

Though you had read more than one fan fiction story that had vampires purr for their mates, and thus expected that to be a possibility, this wasn't the gentle continuous rumble of a contented tabby. This was the majestic roaring purr of a lion or panther, produced only when exhaling. It was similar to growling, but was quite clearly a sound born of pleasure.

You melt into your mate, fully relaxing and willingly submitting to his attentions. His tongue delves into your mouth, coaxing your tongue to participate in an ancient dance of give and take. As his purring begins, his tongue starts thrusting in rhythm, mimicking the movement of another part he wants to bury within your moist heat. Your arousal floods your panties, preparing your body to answer the siren call of your mate in the natural progression of intimacy between soul mates who are safe and alone, each attuned to the needs of the other.

Wanting . . . _needing_ more, seeking a deeper connection, you move to straddle him. He pulls away from your lips allowing you to inhale a few deep breaths to saturate your lungs. His eyes seem to reflect the night sky, complete with shiny stars, though in reality it's still a couple of hours before sunset. Whimsically, you search for the North Star to guide you home.

_It already has_, you realize, smirking. Here in Jasper's arms is more home than anywhere else has ever been.

You grind down, seeking friction at your core, and he adjusts your position to line you up perfectly with his pleasure pole, so it rubs along your slit and bumps against your clit just right.

"Oh, yes! Just like that!"

Your shirt and bra seem to magically disappear from one moment to the next, leaving Jasper feasting his eyes on your perky tits and puckered nipples. Then his top teeth are suddenly slicing through the flesh above your heart. You gasp, expecting pain, but the sting is brief before Jasper's emotions are flooding your system with possessiveness, lust, love, and protectiveness, silencing any lingering fear or doubt that he had momentarily lost control of his thirst.

_No, this bite was deliberate, to serve a purpose, to place a claim. He's __marking__ me!_

Retracting his teeth from the wound, he pulls back slightly, watching in fascination as the blood wells up to fill the void and spills over. Several lines begin running down your chest each taking a different path over and around your breast. He only watches for a second before licking the wound closed, trapping and sealing the pool of blood behind it, making the area a bright bluish-purple.

He then follows the lines of blood, slowly with his tongue, savoring the flavor of your most precious elixir. He shares the feelings with you, and your eyes roll back in your head, feeling as if the most delicious substance ever is coating your tongue and seducing your taste buds. It is smoother than the finest chocolate, creamier than the richest cream, and sweeter than honey, but not cloyingly so. The taste itself cannot be defined in your mind, but it is far and above anything else you've ever tasted. It's rich, light, and instantly addictive, like an orgasm for the mouth.

Beyond the exquisite taste sensation, each swallow causes explosions of ecstasy in your brain, as if you're high as kite, on top of the world. There are bursts of power to the muscles in your arms and legs, making you feel stronger, faster, invincible.

Then, in addition to all of that is the peaceful contentment, the inherent rightness of intimacy and trust with one's mate, and the sexual excitement of tasting the world's finest dessert on the bare skin of one's partner. He saves the nipple for last, finally latching on and laving it with his tongue, cleaning up the final drops of crimson from your lily white skin.

As the taste sensations fade, the sexual feelings increase and are just as euphoric and intense. His fingers are twisting, pinching, and tugging at the other nipple, and his pelvis moves faster, bucking up into your pussy. He's panting and moaning now, while still making his strange purring noise that sounds halfway between a cough and a growl.

From every point of connecting flesh, Jasper is receiving every bit of the bliss and desire you feel from receiving physical gratification from your lover and sending it right back to you, amplified by his own sexual ecstasy. It only takes a few cycles of ever increasing lust, desire, and pleasure to send you soaring to heights you've never before known.

Of course, with your emotions so closely linked, Jasper is flying along with you, helping to prolong the moment far beyond the usual seconds into the minutes. It's more than double the pleasure, even more than quadruple the pleasure. Not only are you bombarded with both your own and his sexual rapture, but also his emotional response to your climax, your emotional response to his climax, your ecstasy at his emotional response to you, and his ecstasy for your emotional response to him. It's all woven together into a giant tapestry of exhilarating, transcendent emotions wrapped tightly around the two of you, binding your souls together and merging them, becoming part of the fabric and sewing them together to make a single piece.

The crescendo of your orchestral feelings begins to overwhelm you, becoming too powerful for your human mind to contain, and you feel the seam begin to tear.

"Jasper!" you keen, but he has felt your distress and is already acting to correct the problem, pulling the emotions into himself, absorbing them to keep them from drowning you. He keeps you afloat on a sea of calm contentment, as you slowly recover and resurface into reality.

_Holy fuckaroonie! We didn't even take off our pants! See, this right here is why I am solidly Team Jasper. The moment his true capabilities dawned on me, I knew I could never do better, because __HOT DAMN__, empaths do it best! _

"I tell you what. . . You make me feel like that at least ten times a day, every day for the rest of eternity, and I'll give you anything you want. How's that for a deal?" you offer, with a satiated sigh.

"Anything?" he purrs seductively.

"Anything," you promise.

"Tell me what you know," he demands.

You huff and roll your eyes, considering that a wasted wish, even if your body isn't quite ready for round two just yet. Every nerve ending is still screaming Jasper's name in an 'adoring fan' kind of way, ultra sensitive to his lightest touch, the brush of his fingers or lips against your overheated skin.

"You're a vampire," you proclaim. "All the Cullens are vampires and the Quileutes are shapeshifters.

He nods slowly. "I knew you knew, though I don't know how you know."

"I just know shit," you remind him.

He rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to reply when he suddenly shuts it again with a snap and a growl. Quick as a wink, Jasper's shirt is on your body, and he's in front of you in a defensive crouch.

"Somebody's coming," he hisses.

"Friend or foe?" you ask, but he doesn't answer. His head is tilted as if he's listening to something far away. Well, far by human standards anyway.


	12. Hide and Seek

**Chapter 11 - Hide and Seek**

He growls and stands up, disappearing for a few seconds and returning with a fresh bra and shirt for you. Taking his own shirt back from you, he redresses you, then himself, and fixes your hair. As he shoves the last piece of your old bra and shirt he'd shredded, in his enthusiasm to feel and taste your bare skin, into his pocket, you hear the dual slam of car doors in the driveway.

Jasper places you carefully on the couch in the corner. "Stay there," he commands, his eyes solid black, his demeanor brief and blunt. You nod, wondering if the Major is in control.

"Major?" you question softly. His onyx eyes flashing to yours, he holds up his hand and shakes his head.

"No talking!" he curtly orders, his tone full of authority. You decide to listen for the time being, trusting him to speak with you once the danger is past.

You jump, startled, at the pounding knock that shakes the front door. Jasper yanks it open and snarls, "Get in here and keep your mouths shut!"

Rosalie and Emmett stride hurriedly into the room and wrinkle their noses. Emmett glares at Jasper and growls, "What the hell . . ."

Jasper's intimidating hiss stops him mid-sentence. The Major then starts pacing in front of the couch, occupying the space between you and his siblings, growling quietly to himself. He whips out his phone and sends a text to someone, most likely Peter. It chimes with a reply that makes Jasper roar and clench his fist.

"Fifty years! Fifty fucking years of the most stringent self-discipline down the drain in a few fucking hours! Damn it all to hell! Why now?" Turning to stare at you, he demands, "Why did you have to come now? You couldn't have waited six fucking weeks? Just six more fucking weeks?"

You know it's a rhetorical question, so you just shrug and sigh sadly, mumbling, "Sorry."

He scowls and kneels beside you. "Don't be. You're worth it. Even though it's going to cost me everything I've worked for over the past fifty years, I'm still glad you're here. We're going to have to disappear tonight though. It's not safe for you here."

"What? Disappear? The hell you are!" Rose immediately protests, sounding both angry and hurt.

"I can't afford to let the fortune teller figure out what's happened here," he snarls. "The shit's going to hit the fan, big time, and heads are going to roll, literally, right into the flames. I don't want Bella in the same damn state when that happens, much less the same fucking town."

Emmett opens his mouth to argue and Jasper hisses, "Don't! Not a word!"

_He can't say anything because he doesn't want Alice to see it_, you think. Furrowing your brow, you ask, "It's truly that serious, as in life or death?"

The Major raises a brow and nods once, scrutinizing you.

Biting your lip, you suggest, "We should involve the wolves then. I know some things that may convince them to help us."

"What? No way!" Rose shrieks.

"The wolves? Why?" Emmett questions, gawking at you.

"Hell, no!" Jasper bellows. You cower back into the couch under the force of their shouts and angry stares, even though you know you're not the object of their anger and fear.

Jasper's phone chimes with another text and all eyes go to him, allowing you to relax a bit. He stares at the text dumbfounded, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as he's rendered speechless. He takes in a ragged breath and reads it aloud:

"Whatever just changed, whatever idea was just suggested is absolutely brilliant! If you go with that plan, we can still pull this off, Major!"

Jasper is clearly nonplussed, while Rose and Em are stunned into silence. Grabbing the phone book, you race outside and climb into the back of Rose's M3.

"Let's go!" you shout when you realize you're the first one in the car. Two seconds later they're all in place and backing down the driveway.

"Drive to the treaty line," you instruct, dialing Sam's number.

"Hello?" a tentative female answered."Is Sam there?" you ask.

"No, he's out at the moment. May I ask who is calling?" she replies, a slight edge to her voice.

"This is Isabella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter. It's imperative I reach him right away. Do you have any way of getting in touch with him?"

"Oh! What's wrong? Is Charlie okay? Is it official business or personal?" she rapidly fires a barrage of questions your way.

"Neither."

"Neither?"

"Look, I don't have time for games. Get in touch with him however you can, and tell him to get to the treaty line as soon as possible if he wants to protect the tribe from being massacred by the Cold Ones."

She gasps and makes a few inarticulate sounds, before she chokes out, "I will!"

"Thanks. Oh and Emily? You need to tell Leah the truth, the whole truth, including all the things you and Sam did to fight the imprint. Sam may be under oath not to tell her, but _you're_ not. If you don't, it's going to come back to bite you in the ass later, I assure you."

"Who are you? How do you know? Who told you?"

"Can't talk now, call Sam, life or death, got it?"

"Right!"

You hang up and look around to find all the vampires studying you with varying expressions on their faces.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Rose inquires coldly, her voice sharp as a steel sword.

"No! Of course not! I'm on your side, I promise!" You declare insistently. You pause and then confess, "Well, honestly, I'm on _Jasper's_ side, so I guess it depends on if _you're_ on _his_ side or not."

Rose and Em exchange a speaking look with Jasper and then each other, before nodding at you simultaneously. "Careful, or you'll start looking like each other too. You know what they say about old married couples," you banter.

Rose simple rolls her eyes, while Em gives you a skeptical raise of his brow. "Is that the best you can do?" he challenges.

"Give me a break, I'm under a lot of stress at the moment," you mutter defensively.

Jasper is holding himself stiffly, his back ramrod straight, his nostrils flaring and tongue peeking out with every breath, his eyes flicking over everything, constantly scanning for danger in every direction, using all his senses. He turns his head, his black eyes probing.

"You better have a damn plan," he warns, the intensity of his scrutiny making it feel like he is searching the depths of your soul.

"Yes, Major," you quickly reply. He grunts in acknowledgment. Curious, you wonder, "Does this have anything to do with a certain evil tracker and a red-headed escape artist?"

He sucks in a breath and turns to you, a mixture of horror, fear, and worry in his eyes. "Yesss," he hisses, covering your mouth with his hand. "Say no more!"

You nod and keep quiet, thankful you're almost there.

Rose pulls over on the side of the road once the 'Welcome to La Push' sign is within sight.

"The wolf is already here, and he's alone," the Major announces.

Rose hesitates to get out of the car. "Jasper, the reason we came to find you is because Alice informed all of us that Bella is Edward's mate, that the pull he feels to her is lust, which he is confusing with bloodlust. She explained he wouldn't have hurt Bella, but claimed her instead, if we'd all just let nature take its course. She told Edward he had mistaken the need to bite Bella to mark her as his own, thinking it was the desire to bite and drink. Carlisle and Esme are thrilled he's finally found his mate and are encouraging him to pursue her. They are upset that you interfered and blocked Edward from accomplishing his goal, and intend to tell you to stay away from Bella and Edward, so Edward can claim her for himself."

"That fucking bitch! She's lying!" Jasper rages. "Bella's mine! I already claimed her, damn it!"

"Yeah, so we can smell," Emmett mutters snidely, then catches himself. "Wait, how can Bella be yours when you already have Alice? Why should you get two girls when Eddie doesn't have any?"

"Because Alice isn't my fucking mate, okay? She's a bloody liar who has been deceiving you all these years. Look, I'll explain later, the wolf is ready and waiting."

Rose and Em aren't happy with his answer and clearly want to force the issue, but don't dare push him when he's in Major mode. They sigh, wearing nearly identical disgruntled looks, and reluctantly nod in acceptance.

Wanting to get things rolling, you recommend, "Rose and Em should stay back, so Sam doesn't think we're trying to ambush him. You two, stay within sight and hearing range so he knows we're not hiding you, but not so close as to appear threatening."

Everybody nods and prepares themselves, before getting out of the car and moving to their places.


	13. Sharing Information

**Chapter 12 - Sharing Information**

"A fucking trap!" Sam howls as soon as he senses the three vampires with you. "Damn you, Swan!"

He instantly transforms into a hostile wolf, glowering fiercely and baring razor sharp fangs in a threatening manner, ferocious growls rumbling up from his chest. Just as quickly, the Major is crouched in front of you, bare-chested in a deliberate attempt to intimidate, teeth exposed, dripping with venom, his own growls just as terrifying.

"Stop! It's not a trap! We need to talk to you, tell you some things. It's important, life or death!" you shout, gripping onto Jasper's waist, hoping it will keep him grounded enough not to attack. "For Emily's safety, please listen!"

Sam stops growling and closes his mouth, his eyes worried and frightened. He is still poised to pounce, but he's taken a step in the right direction. Eyes taking in Sam's every move, Jasper slowly straightens, ceasing his growls, lowering his lips over his teeth, and swallowing his excess venom.

"Okay, everybody stay calm," you instruct. "Rose, Emmett sit down over there by the tree line, criss cross applesauce."

"Criss cross applesauce?" Em asks in confusion.

"Teachers used to call it 'Indian' style," you clarify, glancing sheepishly over at Sam. "Sorry. They stopped when they decided it was culturally insensitive."

Sam rolls his eyes to show he isn't offended.

_That's the least of his worries right now_, you remind yourself.

Rose and Em look at Jasper for confirmation, and he nods, encouraging them to follow your directions.

"Don't worry, Sam, you can stay in wolf form for now, if it makes you feel more comfortable. We're not here to fight with you. We'll stay on this side of the line, and you can stay on that side. We can handle business like this."

Sam nods his massive head, watching you curiously, likely wondering why the vampires are obeying a human's orders.

"Okay, Major, you need to sit down too, so he doesn't feel so threatened by you," you continue.

"Hell, no!" he instantly protests.

"Please, Major! We _need_ him, and _he_ needs us," you plead, rubbing your hands on his chest.

He scowls and snarls, "I can't let down my guard with him so damn close to you."

"So we'll back up a little," you suggest. "Remember what Peter said."

"I don't care! I already told you I'd throw it all away and run with you tonight to keep you safe. Backing up a little won't change anything. Anywhere close enough for you to hear what we're saying is _too damn close_. You have no idea how dangerous he is!"

"Yes I do!" you yell in frustration. "I know he can chase down a vampire and rip through that marble skin with his teeth and claws. I know those claws of his can slice through human flesh like a hot knife through butter. I know he can lose control of his temper and phase unexpectedly, unintentionally maiming anyone who happens to be too close at the time, including those he loves."

Both Sam and Jasper are staring wide-eyed at you.

"Major, if we want him to trust us, we have to make ourselves vulnerable," you insist. "Now sit your ass down!

Jasper is visibly torn between trusting Sam and pursuing his mission or running away with you somewhere nobody will ever find you.

"Fine!" he concedes with a disgusted sigh. Pointing a finger at Sam, the Major warns him, his tone deadly serious, "If anything, _anything_ at _all_, happens to my mate, I will rip out your fur one hair at a time, skin you alive, and make myself a vest out of your bloody hide. If you hurt her, in _any_ way, I assure you I will show you tortures that make _Freddy Krueger_ look like a _kindergarten_ teacher. Understand?"

Sam slowly nods, and you notice it almost seems like he's impressed, like Jasper's sadistic threats have earned him some degree of respect from the lone wolf.

_Men_, you think, rolling your eyes.

Hands on your hips, foot tapping on the ground, you stare the Major down until he complies with your demand and reluctantly sits down beside you. Unable to resist, you pat him on the head and coo, "Good boy." He gives you a dirty look, but doesn't say anything, so you plant yourself in his lap. His arms wrap around you, comforting you and calming himself.

"Okay," you begin. "I know you all have questions, as do I, but I think it's important for us to let Sam know why we're requesting he be a part of this. I don't have all the answers, only a few, but I'll go ahead and start with what I know. Sam, we need your presence for a very simple reason. We need to discuss a matter of secrecy regarding vampires, and your presence will hide this meeting from a certain vampire with the gift of visions. She is able to spy on conversations that relate to her or to those she is specifically watching, however, her powers don't work on you. Thus, whenever you or one of the other shifters is in our vicinity, she cannot see any of us in her visions. That is why we need you. In return, you will be close enough to hear anything we need to say, so you'll know everything we do about what is happening. Additionally, I will tell you some things I know that will be helpful to you and the rest of the tribe."

"Are you willing to grant us the protection of your presence in return for the information?" Jasper formally requests.

Sam tilts his head and thinks about it. He gets up and runs behind a nearby tree, phasing and dressing in a pair of shorts. He returns in his human form, but stays further back from the treaty line.

"I'll listen, but I make no promises as of yet," Sam decides. "First, how can a vampire have a human mate? I can smell that you two have been intimate recently. Why have you claimed this human?"

Jasper scowls and defensively retorts, "I knew the moment our eyes met. It was obvious she is my soul mate. There is a special connection stretching between our hearts, so we can always find each other. It is physically painful to be separated from your mate, so painful it would probably kill her to be away from me for more than a day or two. I doubt her human mind and body could handle the agony and devastation that would come from being apart. I cannot allow that to happen as a I love her more than my own life and would sacrifice anything and everything to keep her safe and happy. She is my whole world now."

Sam's glare falters and he whispers, "Just like imprinting."

"Yes," you agree. "It is just like imprinting. I know how hard you and Emily tried to fight the imprint and how much it hurt both you. Please don't try to force the same pain onto Jasper and me, because it will be just as useless in the long run."

"Why shouldn't I?" Sam challenges angrily. "You ruined my life! Why shouldn't I return the favor?"

Jasper growls ferociously, and you rub your fingers along his scalp in hopes of calming him.

"Look, Sam, I know you blame the Cullens for your change, but they had no idea their proximity would cause you to start phasing. Carlisle would never have moved here if he'd known. I know you've been alone in this for so long, angry, confused, and hurting. I know you still love Leah and regret the pain you unintentionally caused her. You need to tell her the truth, Sam. She needs to know, because the pain of believing her fiance and cousin, her lifetime best friend, betrayed her is eating her alive inside. Let her focus her pain and blame on the supernatural force that brought you and Emily together, bonding the two of you against your wills, rather than on the two people she loved and trusted most in the world. Then, she will at least have the comfort of knowing you're not her soul mate, you never stopped loving her, you both tried to break your bond to avoid hurting her, you had no choice in the matter, and most of all, that there's nothing she did wrong or could've done to change the outcome. She'll also have the hope of finding her own soul mate some day, knowing you and her simply weren't meant to be."

"How do you know that?" Sam howls defensively. "How dare you?"

"I have the gift of intuition. Sometimes I just know things, the information appears in my head out of nowhere, like a light bulb switching on, and occasionally I have dreams that tell me things I need to know. I don't have any control over it. I can't use it on command or anything. However, I've been learning things about the vampires and the Quileutes for the past couple of years. I thought it was my imagination until I moved here a few days ago," you explain.

"Oh, yeah? So tell me what you know about my tribe," he provokes.

"I know about your legends, including those about Taha Aki and the spirit warriors, the reason Taha Aki had to join his spirit with a wolf's, and the one about the third wife who sacrificed herself to distract the female cold one."

His eyes widen, his expression changing from one of total disbelief to incredulous 'not-wanting-to-believe-but-unable-to-dispute-the- possibility'.

"I know Billy Black has forbidden the tribe to go to Forks Hospital, because he believes Carlisle is stealing from the blood supply. I also know Carlisle was on a vampire hunt attempting to catch and kill the local vampires when he was bitten and changed. I know he tried to kill himself when he realized he'd become the very monster he believed to be a soulless demon. I know he awoke as a vampire in the middle of London and refused to feed on a human, running out of the city into the wilderness to avoid killing anyone. He starved himself for over a month, hiding in the wilderness, hoping to die, when a deer crossed his path, activating his instincts. I know he had eaten venison as a human and believed this was a way to continue his existence without being a heartless demon who murders innocents. He became a doctor as a way of helping others and saving lives, believing every life to be precious and valuable, holding himself to the same moral standards he'd had as a human, the son of a preacher. I also know he's never drank human blood once in his entire 362 years on this earth, actively advocates for all vampires to stop drinking human blood, and refuses to take bagged blood, believing it would be immoral to reduce the supply needed for medical procedures," you inform him. Seeing he's about to interrupt and claim he doesn't care to hear about the vamps, you go for the hook, line, and sinker. "Most importantly, in _your_ eyes anyway, I know he could save the life of Leah's father."

"Harry?" Sam gasps, thrown by my rapid change of gears.

"Harry Clearwater has heart disease and will die of a massive heart attack next spring if he doesn't receive treatment and change his diet and lifestyle. If he refuses to act on this warning, Seth will phase the day his father dies, having witnessed the coronary, along with Leah. Leah will be devastated to lose her father on top of everything else and will never be the same," you warn. _He'll never believe me if I tell him Leah will shift too._

"How do I know this isn't a trick?"

You roll your eyes. "You don't have to take him to see Carlisle. Take him to the cardiologist of your choice in Port Angeles or Seattle and have him examined. I'll even pay for it, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

"Let's say I believe you. What else do I need to know?"

"This is very important. Please keep it always in the forefront of your mind, that when you lose your temper you can phase unexpectedly. If you're not careful, you're going to get into an argument with Emily sometime soon, and phase in close quarters, unable to get away from her in time. You'll scar her face for life if you do, a constant permanent reminder of what happens when a shifter loses control, how dangerous it is even for those they love."

"No!" Sam protests, shaking his head. "I couldn't! I wouldn't!"

"Just make sure you don't. If you feel yourself start to get angry, take your argument outside, right away. Again, you have nothing to lose by listening to me and everything to gain."

You wait for Sam to think about that and admit you're right. He presses his lips together grimly.

"What else?"

"You won't be alone for long," you assure him. "Jared and Paul are the next to phase. I don't remember which comes first, or when it happens, but it should be within the next few months. Certainly before September. Jared will imprint on Kim, and Paul will imprint on Rachel Black."

His mouth drops open and for the first time he appears more intrigued than upset. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. After those two will come Embry Call," you continue.

"No, that's not possible," Sam immediately rejects.

"I assure you he carries the gene, regardless of what his mother has claimed in the past," you insist. "Though I don't know which of you is his half-brother." You pause to see if there will be any more comments from the peanut gallery. Sam is disturbed, but remains silent, so you continue, "Though he shouldn't phase for at least a year from now, unless something changes. Jacob phases around the same time as Embry, though he doesn't want to step up and take his rightful place as Alpha, leaving that responsibility on you. I don't know of imprints for either of them. After them will come Quil. I know this sounds odd and kind of gross, but he will imprint on Emily's niece Claire. Yes, I know she's just a baby, that's why it's odd and kind of gross. However, he doesn't feel sexually attracted to her or anything. Apparently, a wolf can be whatever his imprint needs from him, whether it's a friend, brother, or lover. I highly recommend that if he phases, you keep the two of them far apart from each other until she's legal."

"Quil is going to imprint on a small child? You expect me to believe that? I mean, that's just too bizarre!"

Shaking your head, you warn, "Believe what you want, it's your funeral. Just remember, nothing to lose and everything to gain. What's the worst that can happen if you follow my recommendation? How about if you don't?"

"I just feel like I can't trust you," Sam admits. "None of this would be happening if the Cullens hadn't come here. You're talking about another six of our young men going through the same kind of torture I did. How could you do this to us?"

You can tell Rose is about to let loose bitchy comment and quickly interrupt, "No comments from the peanut gallery! Sam, the Cullens aren't the only vampires out there. There are thousands of human drinking vampires roaming around the world, and the Olympic Peninsula just happens to be one of the best places for them to hide. Due to the lack of direct sun, they can walk around in the daytime with nobody the wiser. At least now you're capable of protecting your loved ones, when they do come. You should know that vampires aren't the only monsters to fear. True werewolves, the ones who only shift during the full moon, also eat humans and have venom that transforms their victims into more werewolves."

"Okay, I need a few minutes here. My brain is overloaded at the moment, and I need time to process all of this."

"Sure, Sam."

"While he's processing, you can answer questions for _me_ now," the Major commanded.

"Excuse me, but I'm your _mate_, not your _cadet_. I'll gladly answer your questions, but I expect you to treat me with the respect I deserve as your other half," you argue indignantly.

The Major growls deep in his chest, but tilts his head forward in acknowledgement.

"Oh, c'mon, everybody knows an officer's wife outranks him," you tease.

He smirks and agrees, "That's true. Fine, _General_, will you _please_ tell me what you know of the tracker and escape artist?"

"Ah, James and Victoria," you reply.

He tenses and grinds his teeth. "Yes, those two."

"I will if you will," you offer.

He nods, waving his hand for you to start your story. "So be it."

You can see that Rose and Emmett are hanging on your every word, astonished by how easily you handle the fearsome Major, the terror of the vampire world. Sam, on the other hand, looks as blank as Alice does when she's having one of her visions.

"They'll be passing through this area the weekend of the girl's choice dance," you inform them. Major nods, and you notice he's not surprised by your news. _Hmmm, interesting. What secrets are you keeping Major Whitlock?_

Sam's attention is back on you now too, displeased with the knowledge of visiting vampires. Thinking back on your knowledge of the nomads, you frown, urging, "They need to be killed, both of them. They are evil sadists, getting their kicks from other people's pain, both vampires and humans. They like to play with their food, setting up surveillance to learn the person's weakness and then getting the human to offer up himself or herself in hopes of protecting and saving loved ones. They sometimes torture humans, causing as much physical and emotional pain as possible before finally drinking from their victims."

Rose and Em appeared disgusted, their faces screwed up in expressions of revulsion. Sam's expression closely matched theirs, though you also note the surprise in his eyes to see how much it bothers the Cullens.

"Yes, they are evil and must be stopped," Jasper affirms. "They deserve to die for their crimes, which I assure you are far worse than what you've just mentioned."

You aren't surprised and simply accept his statement as truth. "There is a third nomad with them, by the name of Laurent. He is weak and easily manipulated into serving the other two. He is a coward though and will choose to run rather than fight, if confronted. However, he is Irina's mate and is willing to attempt living off of animals instead of humans. He will need to be watched though, because the coward can be easily convinced to betray us later if James and Victoria are not both annihilated."

"How can you know that? None of us know that! How can you know they're mates, when they've never even met _you_ or _each other_?" Rose disputes.

You shrug and offer, "Sorry, Rose. I just do, like I know that Garrett, from the Revolutionary War, is Kate's mate." Rose's mouth falls open and you can practically see the wheels spinning in her head as she makes plans to bring them together.

"Be careful though," you warn Jasper, Emmett, and Sam. "If you kill James without killing Victoria, she will build up a newborn army to try and destroy the Cullens to avenge her mate. She can be rather hard to kill too, because she has the gift of knowing how and when to escape."

Jasper huffs and rolls his eyes. "James is not her mate. He lied and told her she is so he can do whatever he wants with her and to her, and she foolishly believes him. Just like Alice told me I was her mate, which I have always pretended to believe, though it's glaringly obvious it isn't true."

"Why would you pretend to believe her if you knew she was lying?" Emmett asks in confusion.

"Because I'm an undercover agent of the vampire government, working on a sting operation involving Alice and James, who have been plotting together and slowly building an army over the course of the past seven decades to overthrow the Volturi," Major admits.


	14. Explanations

**Chapter 13 - Explanations**

There is a moment of silence while everyone contemplates his words, then a cacophony of questions bursts forth.

"There's a vampire government?" Sam inquires in shocked befuddlement. "How does that work?"

"Do you mean like James Bond?" Emmett speculates. "You're a spy? That's so cool! I want to be a spy too!"

"You mean you've been lying to us all this time? Telling the Volturi all our secrets?" Rose accuses.

"Really?" you ask, taken off guard by this revelation. "That's . . . odd. I didn't know that." _Whoa! This is __way__ different from the books. This changes everything. I mean, I knew it was going to be different when I went for Jasper instead of Edward, but I still wasn't expecting anything like __this__._

Jasper answered Rose first, believing her accusations to be the most critical, "I have been as truthful as possible, Rose. I haven't been sharing all your secrets either, I promise. Everything I've told you about myself and all the fraternal feelings I've shared with you have been true. Yes, Sam, there is a vampire government in place, with three kings sharing a throne. The kings and their wives are the Volturi coven, who make the laws and dispense justice. Their guard enforces the laws, either killing those who've blatantly broken the laws governing our kind, or capturing them and bringing them back to stand trial for their crimes."

Sam appears dumbfounded. "I just can't believe your kind has laws and order and shit. That doesn't fit with our legends at all. You're supposed to be unfeeling, mindless, soulless monsters, concerned only with killing, feeding, and fucking."

"Hey, watch it! You shouldn't be using that kind of language around the ladies!" Emmett protests. "It's coarse and improper!"

"Oh, sorry!" Sam promptly apologizes, blushing with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Damn straight!" Em declares. Sam gives him a confused look, and Em bursts out laughing. "Relax, dude, I was just fucking with you."

Rose smacks the back of his head, muttering, "Dumbass."

"What? My teachers all say I'm a _smart_ass! Besides, you know you love my ass," Emmett snickers, waggling his eyebrows at her. She just rolls her eyes and shakes her head, with a small smirk betraying her indulgent amusement.

Sam chortles and relaxes even more than he had before. You smile fondly at your new siblings, realizing how easily they'd just demonstrated how 'human' they really are.

Emmett focuses on Jasper again. "So Special Agent Whitlock, what's up with this whole secret spy shit and how can I join?"

Jasper frowns and clarifies, "It's not like James Bond. It's more like when an undercover police officer infiltrates a gang or the mafia and spends several years pretending to be one of them while trying to gather enough evidence to take down the masterminds. If the bust happens too quickly, all you'll catch is the pawns, who are easily sacrificed and then replaced by those running the show."

He takes a few minutes to explain to you and Sam about his past, serving in the Confederate army, then in the Southern Vampire Wars. Sam is disgusted by Jasper's descriptions of the conditions in Mexico and the massive waste of innocent lives. The Major's descriptions of the behavior of the newborns under Maria's control mesh well with that observed of the vampires in the Quileute legends. Jasper assures him Maria's operation is both abnormal and illegal, representative of the worst of his kind, not the law-abiding majority. The Major then admits Carlisle is the best of vampirekind, a rare gem who truly cares for all sentient beings regardless of species and who dedicates his life to actively helping others.

"Most lawful vampires feed from the dregs of society, searching out the child molesters, rapists, serial killers, unrepentant murderers, pimps, sadistic abusers, organized crime lords, slavers, and others who are able to escape human justice. Some choose to feed only from those who are already dying from a terminal illness or old age. Some haunt battlefields, accident sites, fires, or major disasters, feeding from those who are mortally wounded. A few work at blood banks, consuming the blood that is declared unfit for human use and tagged for disposal as hazardous waste," Jasper explains. "Obviously, each choice has moral implications, some of which you will consider better or worse than others. Each individual vampire makes the choice of what is acceptable to his or her conscience."

Sam seems impressed. "I didn't realize you could choose your prey. I thought you would just attack humans at random or go into a frenzy when smelling blood, like sharks do."

Jasper smiles understandingly. "Only the newborns are like that, and only if they aren't properly trained, educated, and disciplined by their sires. Animal drinkers struggle with the thirst too, since animal blood doesn't satiate them the way human blood does. A vampire new to the animal diet is much more likely to lose control around a bleeding human than a well-fed human drinker, though any vampires foolish enough to starve themselves are in danger of losing control. On the positive side, animal drinkers are dedicated to the preservation of human life, so they actively work on expanding their control. Carlisle has proven it is indeed possible to become virtually immune to the call of human blood. In his job, Carlisle is frequently splattered with blood, yet he still has no desire to taste it. Even when he performs open heart surgery on a human, his eyes don't darken with thirst. All that flowing red liquid might as well be paint the way he reacts to it . . . well, _doesn't_ react to it."

"I don't know, I think I'd like to see it for myself. It's just so far off from the way vampires have always been portrayed to me," Sam confesses, somewhat guiltily.

"I understand," Jasper soothes. He tells Sam about Peter and Charlotte escaping, then coming back for him and informing him of how vampires live elsewhere in the world. Looking back at his siblings, he admits, "This is where I left out a few significant details in my life story. I didn't tell you lies, Rose, I simply withheld information."

"It's still a lie of omission," Rose sneers.

"Perhaps, but I had perfectly good reasons for it. I know you haven't shared every single detail of your life with me, nor do I wish to know everything," Jasper defends. "I'll tell you my story now, okay? A few hours before Peter and Charlotte returned for me, I overheard Maria speaking with a stranger. He was offering her all of Middle America and immunity from the law within her territory in exchange for training soldiers for an army to overthrow the Volturi. I knew her greed and lust for power would lead her to accept, despite her legitimate and well-deserved fear of the Volturi. I didn't want any part of their crazy plan, so as soon as I saw my only true friends, I left with them without reservation.

I felt obligated to report the plot to the Volturi, so they could take the proper steps to prevent a military coup. As we were introduced to the three kings in the throne room, Peter gave me the signal that an enemy was close and was listening. It was something we used in the army if one of us sensed a scout nearby. Aro read my thoughts and I saw his eyes widen when he realized one of his own was a traitor. Using emotions, he indicated he wanted to pretend nothing was wrong in front of the other vampires. After the pleasantries of greeting Peter, Charlotte, and me and receiving our pledges of allegiance to the Volturi, he sent us on out merry way, at least as far as the audience was concerned. In reality, he met with us in secret afterward and questioned us thoroughly.

He told us another vampire had brought a plot to his attention a few days before our arrival. It hadn't seemed like much of a threat, so Aro had planned a normal 'capture and destroy' mission, but in light of the new information, he was wary of choosing that path. Peter's gift warned us that the two incidents and the revelation of the double agent in the throne room were all related.

Aro introduced us to an older vampire by the name of Maximilian, who'd been changed in 465 A.D. It was quite a shock to us, as he was missing both legs below the knee, along with his right hand. Our experience with battle scars allowed us to conclude the injuries were rather recent. He moved around on all fours like an animal, which allowed him to still move at a rapid pace, but we were used to Maria's way of life, where any vampire with those kinds of injuries would have been immediately terminated. We soon discovered the reasoning behind Aro's respect and tolerance for a man with so many physical imperfections.

Max had a gift which not only allowed him to detect others' gifts, both vampire and human, but also informed him of any and all weaknesses within the others' gifts. With that knowledge, he could circumnavigate others' gifts, knowing just what to do to counter them or render them ineffectual. His explanation of the weaknesses within my own gift helped me to strengthen it and recognize when somebody else was trying to work around it. Like Eleazar, Max had been working on a constant mission for the Volturi of locating gifted humans and vampires and recruiting them for the Guard, for centuries.

Several months prior to arriving at the castle missing limbs, Max found a gifted psychic in a mental institution and knew Aro would be highly interested in acquiring such a gift for his team. He first needed to befriend the girl and determine her mental stability. He also began laying the foundation of trust with her that would keep her from turning on him after she was turned. As you may have guessed, that girl was Alice.

Alice's gift was not as clear or reliable when she was human. She got a vision of a vampire catching her scent, breaking into the institution, and biting her. Upon hearing this, Max snuck her out of the building and changed her in a safe location away from the hospital and his house. When James caught her scent, he did indeed break in and head straight to her room. Upon not finding her there, he followed Max's scent instead, to Max's home. James became enraged upon smelling Alice on another male and attacked. He tore Max to pieces, flinging the pieces around the living room. Leaving the dismembered vampire wriggling on the floor, James went outside and began splashing fuel on the sides of the house.

Meanwhile, Max was busily putting himself back together as quickly as possible. When he heard James light the match, he dropped through a trapdoor into the cellar, then dug a hiding spot for himself in the earth, sealing himself inside a small hole, with dirt all around him, protecting him from the flames. His burning calves, feet, and hand provided all the aromatic and visual proof James needed to believe Max was dead, burned to a crisp.

He began searching for Alice, but Max had hidden her well, in an underground cavern. Having met James, he now knew exactly how to work around James's tracking gift. He healed himself, fed, then moved Alice to an even safer location, throwing James off their trail. Max knew from James's fierce reaction that he and Alice were mates, so he stayed hidden to see what Alice would do once she awakened. With James possibly close enough to feel the mating pull, he didn't dare expose himself until he knew it was safe.

Carefully protecting himself from her gift, he watched as she had vision after vision for hours on end. Finally, she wrote a letter and left. Max crawled out of hiding to read the letter, careful not to leave his scent on it for James to find. To his shock, Alice spelled out a plan to James to overthrow the Volturi.

Alice deliberately left James behind, informing him that if they bonded too soon, they would be unable to fulfill the mission and would end up killed. Alice told him to convince a vampire with an invaluable gift that he was her mate instead, as Victoria would never join them unless James controlled her as a 'mate'. She warned him that she would be playing the same game with the infamous God of War, as he was also essential to success. She worked out a system of communication and promised they would be together when the time was right. She also urged him not to follow, as they would only be able to be apart from each other as long as their eyes didn't meet, since that is when the unbreakable bond is formed between the two souls.

Knowing now that Alice, James, and Victoria were merely underlings serving a higher power and that other powerful, gifted vampires were being recruited surreptitiously and simultaneously, Aro decided to take a more cautious route than he had in the past. Taking his cues from the police dealings with the Mafia and his inside understanding of the workings of _la familia_, he knew that if he took out Alice, James, and Maria, they would simply be replaced with others, others he wouldn't know.

Aro asked Peter, Char, and me to keep tabs on James and Alice, sending someone else to monitor Maria. We split up and followed them for the first five years, reporting their actions back to Aro himself. They started building underground compounds where Maria's soldiers were sent post training to gain other useful tricks and talents. Aro pulled us back to Volterra for the next few years to train the Guard, then sent us around to the various compounds all over the world to weed out the true threats.

Max told us how to avoid being detected by Alice's, James's, and Victoria's gifts. He also traveled to the compounds with us, identifying gifts and ways around them. We carefully converted people to our side in each compound, to report to us, in addition to subtly sabotaging the success of their missions.

When we learned about targets in advance, we rushed to get to them first. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. We now have a network of vampires working in secret for our side. They go about their business as usual, with none the wiser, but all are available at a moment's notice.

Then, in 1950, correspondence was intercepted letting us know the Cullens were the new target. Apparently, Alice had been practicing hiding her thoughts for thirty years, knowing they had a mind reader in the family, and through her gift, believed herself competent enough to fool him. She explained to James that the Cullens were the perfect coven to provide cover for her, as Aro has a soft spot for Carlisle and would never suspect him of harboring a rebel. She had also been practicing hiding her true emotions all this time in preparation for coming after me.

Aro ordered me to allow Alice to capture me, so I could openly join Carlisle's coven and protect him from her plans. Max taught me how to foil Edward's mind reading, to keep him in the dark about the mission, until I deemed it appropriate to take action against Alice.

I made myself available to her and soon met up with her in the diner, as we told everyone. I was amazed by her emotional façade. It was so good that if I didn't know better, I would've easily been fooled by it. Instead, thanks to Max's training, I could detect the subtle difference when the emotions were not directed toward me, but a result of her thoughts. She would push those emotions toward me to make it seem as if they were sincerely for me, and without Max, I would've been completely fooled. The flavor distinction of emotions created this way is so slight I'd never notice if I weren't specifically watching for it.

We realized from Alice's letters to James that this was a long-term plan, something we hadn't expected at the start. Whomever is the brains of the operation has been so good at hiding, covering his tracks so efficiently that we still haven't found the culprit. Things are coming to a head soon though. They're just about ready to make their move.

That's why I wish my mate hadn't shown up right now, but six weeks from now, when she would no longer be in danger. Bella is throwing a serious monkey wrench into Alice's plans, since the very fact Bella is my true mate exposes Alice as a liar, opening up the doubt toward everything else she's ever said or done. She can't afford to lose the support of the Cullens, and her plan hinges upon controlling both me and Edward. Without us on her side, she knows the plan to overthrow the Volturi will fail, resulting in the mastermind behind the plot terminating her and her real mate, James, as liabilities."

Everyone sat quietly for a few minutes, trying to process all the information he'd just given us.

"I know you're listening, Edward," Jasper casually announces, shocking his audience.

A few seconds later, Edward is there in front of you, staring down at you sitting in Jasper's lap. He shakes his head. "No, you're lying! She's mine! Alice said so and nobody bets against her! I saw the visions in her head of Bella and me. She's my true mate, not yours! So, stop touching her!" he shouts and growls.

"Don't be ridiculous, Edward! You just want to drink my blood and are fascinated with my silent mind. You don't care about me at all. You only want to control me, to try and mold me into your idea of the perfect wife. Well, I'm not interested in becoming your plaything. I don't want to be treated like a fragile doll, placed up on a shelf to be admired and adored, but never touched, changed, or set free. I fully intend to become a vampire too someday soon, because I refuse to be a vulnerable human left alone to try and fend for myself in a world gone mad," you rant.

"No! You can't be changed! I won't allow it," Edward protests He flinches at your disdainful glare, but continues with a hopeful look at Sam. "Besides, it would break the treaty, right?"

Sam looks at him skeptically, knowing he's only asking out of jealousy. "What the Great Spirit has brought together, let no vampire or werewolf rip asunder. Obviously, we know better than to interfere between soul mates. We know beyond a doubt imprinting cannot be denied."

Edward's face falls, but he shakes off the feeling of hopelessness and implores Rose instead. "Rose! This life is not for her. Surely you don't wish for Bella to be damned by this life like the rest of us."

Rose scowls, folding her arms across her chest. "It's too late now, Edward. She already knows our secrets. The law demands she be either killed or changed. Leaving her human is not an option. If we did, our entire family and many of our friends would be sentenced to death for breaking the law."

Frustrated, Edward begins tugging on his hair, muttering to himself, and pacing back and forth. Then, he turns back the way he came and bolts away.


	15. Deceptions of the Mind

**Chapter 14 - Deceptions of the Mind**

Quick as a wink, Jasper scoops you up in his arms and is after Edward, racing through the trees, careful to keep any branches from smacking into you.

"After him!" Emmett trumpets from behind you, slower to respond than Jasper was. You hear the crashes through the underbrush, as if a herd of elephants is chasing after you. You can see trees toppling in Jasper's wake, as Emmett chooses not to avoid the objects in his path, like the others do.

Off to the right, a flash of black overtakes Jasper, gaining on Edward ahead in the distance.

"You can't attack me! That would be a breach of the treaty!" Edward shouts in dismay, looking over his shoulder at the wolf slavering on his heels.

Sam's only response is to increase his speed. You remember Jacob telling Bella in New Moon that he and the other wolves were fast enough to overtake Laurent, even though he got a head start. Apparently, Sam is even faster than Mr. Speedy himself.

Once Sam pulls ahead, he starts lunging at Edward from the side, trying to bring him down. While Sam isn't able to tag him, he does succeed in slowing Edward down enough for the other vampires to close the distance between them.

"Guard your thoughts, Sam! He can read minds!" Emmett yells encouragingly.

"Try to act on instinct, instead of thinking about your moves before you make them," Rose adds, her tone smugly triumphant. She is clearly enjoying seeing Edward taken down a notch.

Edward frantically digs through his pockets and yanks out his cell phone, ripping a small tear in his pants in the process. He hits the speed dial, holding the phone up to his ear.

"Help! Jasper and . . . ," he screeches into the phone, only to be interrupted by a massive wave of emotions from the Major, causing his voice to falter and fade away mid-sentence. Being in the empath's arms, you can't help but catch the fringes of the emotional tsunami, allowing you to identify the highly effective cocktail.

Overcome with confusion, self-doubt, dizziness, forgetfulness, lethargy, laziness, uncertainty, apathy, mental fatigue, disorientation, déjà vu, and distraction, Eddie boy completely loses his train of thought. He also stops running, coasting down to a standstill while staring at his phone as if he he'd never seen it before.

"Huh?" he asks whomever is on the other end.

Jasper catches up to him at this point and casually snatches the phone right out of Edward's hand. He checks the number too quickly for you to process, then speaks in a disturbing monotone, "Edward's fine. Everything's fine. We just met with the new Alpha wolf of the Quileute tribe, and we're discussing the contents of the prior treaty. Everything's under control, and we intend to resolve this peacefully, however, if any more vampires show up, he'll consider it an act of war, so please stay away. We'll discuss the details of the meeting when we return to the house."

He ends the call without waiting for a reply and crumbles the phone to dust in his hand, to be blown away by the wind.

"Bring him back to where we were talking before his untimely interruption," the Major orders.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n," Emmett responds with a dignified salute, standing at attention.

"This aint the fucking Navy, Emmett," Jasper growls, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, right, sorry," Em chuckles, sporting a goofy grin and chucking Edward over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "My bad. How about, 'Sir, yes sir!' Is that better?"

"Marginally," Jasper grumbled. "Less talking, more action."

"Why is the world upside down?" Edward mumbles, sounding like he's either drunk or high. "Why is that squirrel giving me the stink-eye? I wasn't going to eat him!"

Emmett snickers, enjoying Edward's zany commentary as he jogs along. Edward's hands leave a trail behind them, since he doesn't bother keeping them from dragging in the dirt.

The return pace back to the original meeting spot is much calmer, more relaxed. You feel reassured, knowing Jasper has everything under control, for the moment anyway. Watching over Jasper's shoulder, you see the amusement in the twinkling eyes of the bear sized wolf with the shaggy black fur, every time Emmett swings Eddie's upper body into trees, rocks, and fallen logs. Edward's only response is to look around in bewilderment, as if he can't figure out what hit him. Even Rose is having a hard time maintaining her scowl after the fourth or fifth collision, when Edward is just as clueless as he was the first few times.

"That's some pretty strong mojo you've got there, Jazz," Rose finally declares, a small smirk gracing her full, pink lips.

Jasper hums, his chest vibrating against you, and mutters, "You aint seen nothing yet. This is child's play, a mere parlor trick, compared to what I am capable of doing. Your family has no clue about my true potential. You've all severely underestimated me from the beginning, which I encouraged, as it made it easy for me to hide and accomplish my goals without suspicion or detection. Still, it was insulting to be considered so weak and valued for nothing more than my ability to calm my siblings before they ripped each other apart. If you'd used even a hint of imagination, you'd have seen how much more there was to me and my gift. Did you never wonder how a man could go from commanding armies, undefeated in battle for decade after decade and feared by vampires everywhere, to a gutless, spineless weakling who takes orders from a pint-sized psy-_chic_, not allowed to pick out his own clothes or talk to humans without her express permission?"

"I certainly did," you murmur, kissing his neck. "It seemed rather farfetched to me."

He hugs you closer and smiles down at you, his eyes gleaming with love, adoration, and respect. He begins purring for you, rubbing his cheek against yours and nuzzling your neck.

"Sorry, Jazzman," Em apologizes. "I guess I never gave your past much thought."

Rose nods and remarks, "I dismissed your past as well, knowing I didn't want to be judged by my own."

Jasper smiles affectionately, replying, "I know. You two always accepted me at face value, and I appreciate it. I value our friendship and hope you'll stay by my side throughout the coming ordeal."

Rose and Em look at each other, smile and nod, then turn back to him.

"You can count on us," Rose agrees.

"Yeah, we've got your back, dude," Em declares.

Sam has returned to human form, wearing his shorts once again, and is watching the proceedings with interest. Edward is also watching silently, his gaze darting around to each of the people present.

"What is going on, Jasper?" he demands, his voice lost, confused, and scared. "What ordeal?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" Rose sneers. "When you were so rudely eavesdropping on our private conversation?"

"He only heard the last bit of the conversation," Jasper explains.

"Oh," Rose ducks her head, chagrined, but quickly restores her normal bitchy expression.

"Look, Edward, all we want is for you to listen to the facts, and then draw your own conclusions based on logic and reasoning, rather than emotions and misinformation," Jasper calmly expounds.

Edward grimaces and murmurs suspiciously, "How do I know I can trust you, much less believe anything you say? You are holding me against my will, after all."

"I cannot allow you to go off half-cocked, stirring up trouble with no understanding of the consequences. There are many innocent lives at stake here. Besides, considering I've successfully resisted the urge to kill you for the past fifty years, odds are good I won't kill you today either. Just don't threaten Bella in any way unless you have a death wish," Jasper answers seriously, with the toothy smile of a shark.

Edward shudders and hesitantly adds, "I'll listen to what you have to say, but I'll make no promises of agreeing with your point of view." Edward glances longingly at you, folded snugly up in Jasper's lap, his arms wrapped lovingly and protectively around you, then continues, "I have to admit it makes me nervous to see your mouth so close to a human's neck. We all know how much you struggle with your thirst. After trying so hard to resist her sweet, but savory smelling blood myself, I'd hate to see it all be for naught should you suddenly slip up by accident and drain her yourself. None of us are close enough to stop you, even if I were to hear it in your thoughts first. Are you absolutely certain your thirst is under control?"

Major chuckles darkly. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Edward. I assure you my control is not an issue."

Edward eyes him skeptically, but wisely chooses not to push it.

You sink back against Jasper's chest, relaxing, your soft body molding itself around his stony strength. Resting your head on his shoulder, you eagerly inhale his spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice aroma repeatedly to calm yourself.

He smells like holidays, like the seasoning ingredients used in making apple pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, gingerbread, cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodles, oatmeal cookies, and spice cake, among other holiday favorites.

"What sound am I making right now, Edward?" Jasper inquires politely.

"You're purring," Edward mutters with a disgruntled look, showing his condescending attitude toward the question.

"Have you ever heard me make that sound before? Go ahead and search your mental databanks. I know you've heard it from others on a regular basis."

There's a pause as Edward complies. After a few seconds of deep contemplation, Edward furrows his brows and shakes his head. "I cannot recall ever hearing that sound from you before."

"Exactly, because I have never purred before today!" Jasper proclaims. "Now, think carefully and resurrect your memories from the decades before I joined the Cullen family. What did Carlisle teach you about purring? What is the purpose and significance of that particular action?"

You take a moment in the resulting silence to check on the others gathered for this odd, impromptu lesson on vampire mating. Sam is utterly fascinated, observing the proceedings as if it were reality TV, ready to vote somebody off the island at first opportunity. You imagine he'd be eating popcorn and drinking soda if he could. Emmett and Rose are wide-eyed, seeming caught in a series of epiphanies. These light bulb moments of clarity brought on by Jasper's questions are causing shocking revelations for the couple, calling into question all their previous assumptions regarding their family members.

Seeing Jasper's attention focused intently on Edward, you return your gaze to the young vampire in time to see the moment of recognition in Edward's eyes.

Quoting from his memories, Edward recites, "Purring is a way of comforting one's mate, expressing calm contentment in the connection between the two, soothing pain or inner turmoil, and strengthening their bond. Vampires only purr when in direct contact with their mates."

Jasper nods triumphantly. "Now think about what you just said in the context of our current situation."

Almost instantly by human perception, comprehension dawns in Edward's eyes, followed rapidly by an expression of horror.

"But if you two are mates, if _Bella_ is your mate, then Alice cannot be your mate, as no vampire has more than one mate. So, if Bella is _your_ mate, then she cannot be mine, which would mean _Alice is wrong_!" Edward concludes, dumbstruck. His expression is troubled as he starts thinking about the significance and ramifications of that little nugget of truth. "If Alice is wrong, then the visions she showed me were _fake_, which means she was deliberately lying!"

This revelation leaves him reeling, trying to wrap his head around it. In the silence that follows, Rose picks up the conversational bar and keeps going with the verbal expression of the depth of Alice's betrayal.

"Which begs the question, how many times has she faked a vision in the past to convince us to take a particular action or direction, and to what purpose?" Rose snarls coldly.

"Damn! She's been manipulating us like puppets all along, hasn't she? Subtly training us to obey her without question. _Never bet against Alice_," Emmett sneers. "We all fell for it hook, line, and sinker, never imagining she would betray us like that. Never questioning her motives. Just blindly believing she was acting in the best interests of the family, rather than her own. Taking everything she said at face value. What suckers we've been!"

"It doesn't make sense," Edward whines. "How could she fool _me_? I would've heard it in her thoughts at some point."

Jasper chuckles darkly. "Oh, Edward! It's child's play to circumnavigate your gift for anybody who knows about it. The whole family does it all the time. All you hear are the superficial thoughts of the moment. With vampires, it is easy to set that portion of the brain on autopilot, thinking of things that discourage you from paying attention, while the rest of the brain does the heavy lifting, working on things we don't want you to know.

Even humans operate on more than one level with their thoughts. The surface thoughts, which include random ideas and idle questions, rarely represent the deeper concerns and beliefs a person has. In fact, they can be terribly misleading. A man can contemplate murder in excruciating detail, yet never intend to actually act on those thoughts. It can simply be an exercise in anger management, letting go of all the negative feelings in a nonthreatening manner. A girl can fantasize about sex to her heart's content, yet have every intention of staying a virgin until her wedding night. You, dear boy, are much too hasty to judge others, to jump to conclusions, using only a tiny smattering of evidence taken out of context."

Edward appears doubtful, hesitant to surrender his pride and admit he's wrong.

Rose laughs and challenges, "You are so naïve yet cynical at the same time. I know you honestly believe I'm as shallow and self-obsessed as my surface thoughts express. Jasper's right. You ARE easy to fool. We just let you think you know everything to keep you from behaving like a whiny, moody brat all the time."

"Yeah, bro," Emmett snickers. "I know you think I'm as simple as they come, that my head is filled with nothing but Rose, hunting, pranks, and video games, right?"

"It's not?" Edward whimpers in consternation, having to reevaluate his gift.

"Hell, no!" Emmett crows triumphantly. "Like Jazzyboy over here, I prefer to be underestimated, though I have to say he takes the cake on this one. None of us had the slightest inkling he was an undercover cop on a sting operation for the Volturi!"

"What the . . .?" Edward gasps. "What are you talking about?"

Emmett and Rose quickly fill Edward in on what Jasper had revealed to them earlier, while the Major discloses details concerning James and Victoria to Sam, divulging some tips and tricks for defeating unsuspecting vampires, both young and old.

After a few minutes, Edward asks with desperate frustration, "How have you kept all of this from Alice for so long? How has she not seen visions of you sabotaging her?"

"She has, she just doesn't believe them. She sees all the possible outcomes, whether good, bad, or indifferent," Jasper explains, and you remember Meyer's Alice in Midnight Sun declaring the two possible futures for Bella after the van incident, plus the various visions of ways Edward might provoke the Volturi in New Moon. "The sharper the focus of the vision, the more likely that outcome is to occur, so Alice simply ignores the fuzzy or blurry visions, dismissing them as unlikely, thus unimportant. If she didn't draw the line somewhere, she'd spend all her time doing nothing but sorting visions of possible futures. Recall Alice's description of how her gift works. She sees the future based upon the current path a person is on, which changes based upon individual decisions and alterations to that path. She is limited by being unable to pick up on split-second choices, as the future caused by those last-minute decisions too quickly becomes the present and then the past, both of which she cannot see."

The others nod, paying close attention, wanting to know how to defeat Alice's gift.

"Each day, Alice focuses on the future of each of her family members, watching for trouble, before any of us leave the house. For example, each human Rose meets in the course of a typical school day represents a potential slip or chance of exposure," Jasper elucidates. Rose makes a motion to protest, but Jasper hushes her with a dismissive wave. "The same is true for any of us. Thus, each of us has thousands of possible futures at the beginning of the day. It would take hours for Alice to sort through all of them. However, since Rose is firmly committed to not slipping or exposing herself, the most likely future will be one where she doesn't have any difficulty. Now, suppose one of the children who sits next to her is depressed and decides to cut herself in the girls' bathroom before their mutual class, which would introduce an open wound oozing fresh blood into the equation. This new factor would increase the likelihood of a problem above normal, triggering Alice to pay attention to that possibility. She would then share the vision with Rose, to help Rose be prepared to handle it appropriately. Rose would then be on guard, going into the situation with increased determination, prepared to fake illness, skip class, or simply stop breathing to prevent an attack."

Sam is more impressed and relieved by this knowledge than the vampires who've been living with it for years.

"Okay, that makes sense, but how do we use it to our advantage?" Emmett wonders, wrapping his arm supportively around his mate.

Jasper smirks. "It's quite simple really. I am always decided to do whatever Alice wants, whatever makes her happy. Thus, the sharpest visions she sees involving me are nearly always what she wants to see. I am actively decided to always listen to her, always take her advice. Of course, if I change my mind at a moment's notice, she can't see that, now can she?"

"But you're not truly committed to do what she says," you point out, brows furrowed. "Deep down, you _know_ you are going to 'change your mind' and do the opposite of what she recommends, so shouldn't your true intention be the one she sees most clearly?"

"Hey, yeah!" Emmett agrees. "She's right!"

Jasper kisses the top of your head and smirks. "You would be right, little lady, but Alice's gift operates on the top level of consciousness, just like Edward's. Neither of them can see past it to the deeper thoughts and desires of the heart. That's why she can't predict snap decisions or situations based solely on instincts. Neither she nor Edward can use their gifts effectively in a fight with a well-trained soldier, for whom fighting has become instinctive, rather than cognitive."

Rose and Emmett are delighted with this new knowledge, loving the idea of having some real privacy for a change.

"Well, this has certainly been enlightening, but I need to head back now. My Emily is likely going out of her mind with worry."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Sam. I'd be honored to consider you an ally in the fight against indiscriminate, abusive, and excessive human drinkers," Jasper replies, standing and bowing respectfully to the Alpha.

"I'll think about it and discuss it with the elders," Sam murmurs diplomatically, returning the bow.

"Please seriously consider showing those destined to shape shift what to expect beforehand," you quickly add before he can bolt. "You know how you felt when you first phased, not knowing or understanding what happened or why. Why should they all have to suffer through that, when you have the power to prevent it? As soon as they start the crazy growth spurt that precedes the change in form, you should take them under your wing and let them know what to expect, so they don't freak out and panic when it does happen to them. Wouldn't it have been so much easier for you if Old Quil had recognized what was happening beforehand and eased you into it?"

He regards you thoughtfully. "You make a good point. I promise I will consider it and discuss it with the elders, though I make no guarantee to change the current policy. You are an odd girl, Isabella Swan, but I sincerely appreciate your efforts to secure peace between us, which will be beneficial to both sides, as well as for all the humans in the area."

With a nod and a wave, he disappears into the forest.

Jasper wraps both arms around you and rests his chin gently on the top of your head. The other vampires exchange glances between themselves and focus once again on the Major for leadership.

"So, what does this mean for us, for our family?" Edward wonders.

"What do we do now?" Emmett asks, his eyes appealing to Jasper for guidance and hope.

"What do we do about Alice?" Rose demands, ready to kick ass and take names.

"Kick her ass!" Emmett suggests, getting into the spirit, wanting to encourage and support his mate and always up for a good tussle.

"What about Carlisle and Esme?" Edward mentions uncomfortably.

"What about James and Victoria?" you inquire, feeling that was perhaps the most important question. "What's their plan, and how do we fit into it? James and Alice are going to meet for the first time, right? So what do they think that will do for you and Vickie? How do we foil their plan with the least amount of risk to any of our own?"

"Yeah!" the others chorus, looking at Jasper expectantly.


	16. What Now?

AN: I've recently gotten some heartfelt pleas to continue this story, so I managed to resurrect my old laptop just long enough to pull this next chapter off of it before it died again. It's been so long though that most of you will likely have to reread the story to remember the plot. I know I did. At least I enjoyed it. Lol

xxxxxxxx

**Chapter 15 What Now?**

Jasper sighs heavily before admitting, "With the wolf gone, I can't discuss that subject without triggering certain repercussions."

"Dammit!" Rose protests. "Why didn't you ask him to stay?"

"He's not at our beck and call. His emotions indicated he needed some time to come to terms with everything he's learned. He's still not certain he believes Bella and is definitely not thrilled about trusting us, though he's come a long way in such a short time. Still, it goes against everything he's been taught about our kind, and it's hard to let go of all the animosity and blame he's been directing our way since his change," Jasper explains. "We'll contact him again soon, if he doesn't contact us first, and talk more then. In the meantime, everyone needs to focus all their energy on deciding to believe anything a certain person says and deciding to doing anything she wants you to do. Remember, it doesn't matter what you truly think or feel deep down. At the top of your mind, your primary thoughts need to be that she knows all, would never steer us wrong, and should be obeyed at all costs."

"Um, Jasper? How are we going to pull that off?" you ask. "You've already marked me. Emmett has made it abundantly clear he can smell it, so I can only assume it will be just as apparent to Al- . . um . . . _others_."

"Shit! She's right!" Emmett declares, looking at Jasper in consternation. "Bella is supposed to be Edward's mate, right? I'd never be able to let some other guy pretend to be my Rosie's boyfriend. Damn, I nearly killed Edward the first few decades over every little thing, despite how obvious the tow of them couldn't stand each other. If he wasn't a mind reader, he'd never have survived the wrath of my mating instincts."

Jasper begins growling and tightens his grip on you, hugging you closer to his body.

"Even Carlisle went after me a few times when he and Esme first mated," Edward confides, with a nod. "That's why I went off on my own."

Rose looks at you and Jasper in horror. "You aren't seriously considering going along with the plan that Bella is _Edward's_ mate, are you?"

Jasper jumps up and has you behind him before you can even blink. Edward starts writhing on the ground, screeching in pain. It reminds you of the descriptions of Jane's power and you look up at your mate to see uncontrolled malice in his eyes, shooting invisible daggers at Edward.

_If looks could kill_ . . . You realize Jasper is torturing Edward and quickly intervene. "Jasper! Honey! It's okay! I'm here. I love you. I'm all yours, only yours, forever and ever. Nobody else has ever touched me, and nobody else every will."

The screams are abruptly shut off as Jasper whirls around, an intrigued expression on his face and a gleam in his eyes. "Nobody **ever**?"

Thinking of Bella, you admit, "This body has never even been kissed by anyone other than you, Jasper Whitlock." You feel yourself blushing and notice Jasper swelling with male pride at being your one and only. _Let him have this. He doesn't need to know about my other life. Besides, it's completely true - Bella never did anything with anyone before_.

Edward groans, and you notice he's moved quite a bit further away. He's holding his head in his hands and staring at the ground morosely. "Not again!" he complains. "Do you have **any** idea how hard it is to be a mind reading unmated vampire around newlymates?"

"Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, eh Edward?" Emmett teases, trying to relieve some of the tension. Edward shoots him a dirty look.

"Here's a quarter, call someone who cares," Rose quips, flinging a coin into his lap.

"Good luck finding a pay phone," you mutter. "And can you even still **make** a phone call for a quarter if you do?"

The silliness has given Jasper time to recover, and he settles back down on the ground with you in his lap. Everyone takes that as the cue to get back to the topic at hand.

"Obviously that is completely out of the realm of possibility," Jasper admits. "Yet, it's crucial she believe her plan is working."

"I'll call in sick tomorrow," you suggest. "With some kind of highly contagious disease. I'm sure I can come up with something that'll involve me needing to be homeschooled for the next month or so."

"Carlisle will never cover for you without a reason," Edward warns.

"Why do I have to see Carlisle about it?" you huff. "He's not the only doctor around."

The others look at you blankly.

"What?" you snarl defensively. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Bella, Carlisle will insist on seeing you himself. Especially now," Rose explains. "There's no way he'd let his first born son's "mate" be seen by anybody else and risk anything happening to you. Even if Esme _hadn't _already claimed you as a daughter once you hugged her and called her 'Momma C' yesterday."

_Oh, yeah._ You sigh and nod. "Well, it'll work for tomorrow anyway, which will buy us a little time, if nothing else."

Everyone smiles in agreement.

Suddenly, the vampires freeze in place, their heads all turning toward the reservation.

"What? What is it?" you demand, hating being left in the dark. "What's wrong?"

"Sam – he's howling," Jasper growls. The vampires are tense, waiting without speaking, and you feel impatient, wanting to know what the hell happened. You feel a blanket of artificial calm wrap around you and instinctively try to shrug it off, to no avail.

"Emily's hurt! He wants Carlisle!" Edward exclaims, concentrating. The vampires are all on their feet, and Jasper has you cradled in his arms.

Jasper's phone buzzes, and he growls, "Peter says we can't involve Carlisle."

"What? Why not?" Rose instantly protests at the same time Edward shouts, "She's bleeding out, she's dying!"

You feel Jasper tense, radiating extreme anger and frustration. Before he can explode, you start barking out orders, "Edward, tell Sam to go to Sue's clinic, as soon as you're within shouting distance. The rest of you, head straight to the clinic, yes, on the res. Jasper, concentrate on my lack of bloodlust and my reaction to the blood and project it to the others. If you focus on my emotional response and feed it to the others, you'll all be fine. Rose, you're going to do the surgery."

Edward took off as soon as you told him too, as did Jasper and the others. Your final line was given just as you reached the clinic building.

"But I . . .," Rose attempted to interject.

"No excuses, Rose," you forcefully insist. "You **will** do the surgery."

She blinks, appearing nervous and uncertain, but nods. The four of you are paused outside the clinic for a few seconds before Sam comes racing into sight, carrying a limp, bloody woman in his arms, with Edward hot on his heels. Sam barrels through the front door and the rest of you follow behind him.

The receptionist and those in the waiting room barely have time to gasp in shock before Sam is on his way into the back, bellowing for Sue. From your perch in Jasper's arms, you have a bird's eye view of Sue's reaction.

"Sam! Em?! What the?! Cold Ones?!" Sue sputters, freezing in the middle of examining her patient. Her assistant, a young lady who looks a lot like her, is just as flabbergasted.

"What did you do?!" she demands, glaring at us and starting to shake.

"Oh, shit, Leah!" you realize. "Get out of here, quick!"

She looks at you like you're insane, and you know she's not going to listen. "Jasper, mega calm, now, quick!" you bark in alarm. Suddenly, everyone in the area looks like they've taken some Valium. "Thank you, baby, you're awesome," you murmur into his shoulder.

"No time to waste!" you exclaim, realizing everyone is a little too chill for the emergency at hand. "Sam, put Em on the table in the surgery room. Rose, stop the bleeding. Sue, start up an IV."

You're quite gratified to see Sam and Rose hopping to obey your orders without the slightest hesitation. Sue follows Sam into the other room, but then attempts to confront all of you.

"Why are there Cold Ones here? You're breaking the treaty! Sam!" Sue declares.

"Shut up and take care of your niece, woman!" Sam growls. "She's dying!"

"And they're here to finish the job!" Leah shouted.

"What the hell is going on here?!" a man yells, running into the room.

"The wolf hurt his own mate by accident!" you announce loudly, before anyone else can say anything. "If she dies, he'll die too. We're here to help. We're the good guys. Now everyone fix the dying woman or get the hell out!"

The humans all stare at you in shock. Not waiting for them to reply, you turn to look at Rose. "Have you stopped the bleeding?" you ask.

"Yes," she replies tersely.

"Good, now sew the blood vessel back together, if you can find a needle small enough. If not, try to make it work some other way. If you can't get it, just keep her from bleeding out long enough for us to stabilize her," you advise. Rose looks at you and nods. You're pleased to see her eyes are still golden, as is the case for all the vampires in the room.

"You're doing great, Jasper," you assure your mate, giving him a squeeze and sending him a burst of pride. Rose is advising Emmett what to look for, and he's busy going through all the supplies in the room.

"Sam, you're going to have to give blood," you inform him. He looks up at you startled and then widens his eyes glancing toward Jasper. "To your mate, stupid!" you bark. He flinches and flushes red with embarrassment.

"Of course!" he immediately agrees, holding out his bare arm as an offering.

"Sue, why are you still standing around?" you demand. "I told you to start an IV. She's lost a ton of blood and needs a transfusion STAT!"

Sue opens her mouth, but shakes herself and closes it again, moving quickly to grab the materials. She doesn't hesitate again, moving fluidly to start the IV for Emily and then start collecting blood from Sam.

Now that things are semi-under control, you take another look around. You see Edward staring at Leah in concern. The man who barged in is now talking agitatedly into his cellphone, gesticulating wildly, and practically foaming at the mouth. Leah is watching the proceedings silently, but her entire body is trembling.

"Leah! The legends are all true. Sam's a shifter, he changes into a giant wolf, and Emily's his imprint. He didn't have a choice in leaving you, and he was forbidden by the Council to tell you why. He and Em both fought it, because they hated hurting you, and both still love you, but the magic is too powerful," you quickly tell her. You see her trying to process the information you've given her, especially in light of all she's currently witnessing and the reactions of those around her. If she'd had any doubt as to what you are telling her, the man on the phone quickly erases it.

"How dare you tell her?! You've just broken the treaty! This means war with the Cullens! Who do you think you are?!" the man screams angrily, shaking his fist at you. Leah stares at him wide-eyed.

"Dad?" she whimpers. He barely glances her way.

"That's Council business! You have no right to tell anyone!" the man continues yelling.

"You idiot!" You declare, glaring at the man. "Get your daughter out of here! Can't you see she's about to phase into a wolf herself?!"

Harry jerks back, looking at you like you're crazy. "The females don't phase. . .," he begins.

You give him a look that shows you think he's an imbecile and point to his daughter. He looks at her to see her shaking all over, panting, gritting her teeth, her eyes jerking around wildly. He reaches over to touch her arm and instinctively pulls his hand away rapidly on contact with her heated skin. "Oh, shit!"

Grabbing her arm, he tows her out of the room and out of the building, his phone conversation forgotten. "We've got to get outside, to the trees," he tells her urgently.

You return your attention back to the drama in front of you and notice Emmett, Edward, Jasper, and Sam are all staring after the departing figures. Rose is concentrating on the delicate surgery she's performing, and Sue is busy transferring blood from Sam to Emily.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN**: Whatcha think? Was it worth the wait?


	17. Wolfie Worries

**Wolfie Worries**

Sam looks at you, eyes wide with fear and regret. "Leah?"

You nod, feeling tired and sad. Without realizing it, you start rubbing your cheek on Jasper, seeking comfort. He starts purring for you, calming you down.

Sue's hands are trembling and her shoulders are bowed as she works on the blood transfer. "I knew Seth would shift one day as soon as the Cullens returned, but I never suspected my daughter would," she whispers, briefly closing her eyes and stifling a sob. "I would've talked to her, told her, prepared her ..."

She flinches as a forlorn howl pierces the air from somewhere nearby.

"There! Done!" Rose exclaims proudly. You look over to see she has finished the last of the delicate, precise stitches piecing Emily's skin back together.

"What happened, Sam?" you ask, your voice full of compassion.

"We were arguing about talking to Leah, telling her the truth about everything. Emily was insisting it was the right thing to do, after talking to you about it on the phone. I had to warn her it was forbidden by the Council and by Leah's own parents. I remembered what you warned be about and maintained control of my temper. Then Leah called and started saying hateful things to Emily, calling her vile names and accusing her of deliberately seducing me and stealing me away . . ." he pauses and sobs, before regaining control enough to continue the explanation. "even though Emily still hasn't allowed any romantic intimacy between us, hasn't even let me kiss her yet, because of Leah!

I was already feeling guilty and upset from our discussion, then seeing the pain on Emily's face and hearing the nasty things Leah was saying to her, knowing how hard Emily has fought the pull between us, hurting us both physically and emotionally, all out of loyalty to Leah . . . . I went for the phone. I was so angry and wanted to yell at Leah, tell her the truth - I know she's been hurting, but so have we! I just went to grab the phone from Emily, but I was too angry. . . . All my attention, my rage, was directed at the phone, and I started shifting without realizing it as I grabbed for it - my claws came out and sliced Em's neck before I knew what was happening, before I could stop it!"

He bends over Emily body on the table sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Em!"

Sue's eyes were full of pain and horror as she watched him.

_Oh shit! Leah is as much to blame for this mess as he is. Emily's the only innocent, caught between the two of them because of a magic that drew her in against her will_, you realize. _And now Leah knows it too. She's close enough to have heard all of it._

"Are you satisfied with the results of all your secret keeping, Sue?" you ask her bitterly. "You didn't think Leah had a right to know why her life was so drastically altered, and now the resultant pain, resentment, and bitterness has forever changed the future for all three of them."

Sue looks at you with resentment. "Who the hell are _you_?"

"Bella Swan, Charlie's daughter," you take pleasure in informing her. _So much for hoping you could make me 'disappear'._

The shock and fear on her face makes you feel marginally better, for some reason. You choose not to try to figure out why, having more important worries on your plate for the time being.

Rose had been washing up while you were talking with Sam and Sue, and she comes over to you now, giving you a hug as best she can while Jasper is holding you. "Thank you," she whispers into your ear. Emmett comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around all three of you, comforting his mate with a soft purr of his own. Edward hangs off to the side, his head down, looking awkward and uncomfortable. You wonder what thoughts he's enduring from everyone else.

Sam looks up having regained control over his emotions again. He smiles shakily at all of you. "Thank you, Rosalie, for saving her. I can see all of you still have golden eyes. There's blood everywhere, yet none of you are reacting to it in the slightest."

You send a burst of pride to Jasper, happy he's able to help everyone. The sight of all the blood is actually making you feel slightly queasy, not the least bit interested in eating or drinking anything, and you're certain Jasper is feeding that reaction to the others to keep them from feeling the thirst.

"I'm just glad I could help. Carlisle would've been better, of course, since he has centuries of experience treating the wounded, but it would've taken him too long to get here," Rose replies modestly.

Sam nods, while Sue is openly gaping at each of the vampires, only now comprehending just how controlled they all are and were in the presence of freshly spilled human blood.

"H-how?" she asks.

"None of us chose this existence," Edward explains, meeting her eyes. "We don't want to be monsters, like your legends describe. We work very hard on our control and actively choose not to harm humans, unlike others of our kind. However, even most of those who do drink human blood aren't like the vampires in your legends. Those kinds do exist, but they are the exception, not the rule."

Sue shakes her head, agitated. "I-I don't understand," she admits.

"I'm not saying your legends are wrong, but any civilized vampire would recognize the scents of the wolves on your land as dangerous and wouldn't approach your tribe out of a healthy sense of self-preservation. Only those too young and reckless to know better without the guidance and supervision of anyone older and wiser or those who enjoy violence and consider causing fights a good source of entertainment to ease the boredom of eternity would be stupid enough to expose themselves to you. That's why your tribe has only encountered those types of vampires. Others of our kind would simply give your land a wide berth, avoiding a potentially lethal confrontation."

Sue stares at him suspiciously, and he sighs. "Look, I knew Ephriam personally. He and Carlisle actually became good friends and met often to discuss things when we lived here before. I used to join them in the beginning as a translator until Ephriam felt comfortable meeting with Carlisle in human form. Carlisle still has all the letters Ephriam sent him over the years after we moved away, as they continued their friendship via correspondence."

Sue frowns, but decides not to pursue it for the time being. Instead she turns to Sam. "What is this going to mean for Leah? I just don't understand why she shifted."

Sam looks at you and furrows his brows. "I thought you said Paul was going to be next, Bella. You never mentioned Leah."

You frown and admit, "I knew Leah was a possibility, but knew you'd never believe me, because only the boys have shifted in the past. The fact is, this shifter 'magic' is genetic, and Leah has the genes from all three lines: the Blacks, Uleys, and Atearas. If that's the reason she's able to shift, you'll have to watch any daughters Rachel and Paul have, because their children will have genes from all three lines as well."

"Paul and Rachel?" Sue asks, wide eyed.

Sam nods absentmindedly. "Yes, apparently Rachel Black is Paul's imprint."

"Does Billy know?" Sue squeaks in shock.

Sam shakes his head. "No, Paul hasn't even shifted yet. He's had a recent growth spurt and is having mood swings, so old Quil and I've been keeping an eye on him."

"Maybe now you'll take my advice to start talking to him _before_ he wolfs out and ease him into the transformation," you suggest, cocking an eyebrow.

Sam nods, frowning, and Sue stares back and forth between the two of you. "How do you know so much about all of this?" she demands angrily.

You stare at her for a moment before blandly replying, "I'm gifted. Prophetic dreams. I know all kinds of things."

"Oh!" she gasps, staring at you wide eyed with respect. "An Oracle! I didn't realize!"

You nod, figuring it's as good an explanation as any. You're not surprised she easily believes in other mystical things as well. After all, once one accepts the existence of spirit walkers, shape shifters, and vampires, it's not much of a stretch to believe there are other unknowns walking the earth unable to be explained by scientific reasoning.

"Leah and Harry are on their way back now," Edward warns.

"I think we should head home now, if you don't need us anymore," Rose suggests, not wanting to get caught in the middle of the impending drama.

"Carlisle and the others are expecting a report of our meeting with Sam," Jasper reminds her.

"Damn," she mutters. "What are we going to say? What are we going to do? Have you figured anything out yet?"

Before Jasper can reply a sullen, angry girl storms back into the room, followed closely by a shaken, sweaty man. Leah glares at her mother and growls, "You knew! All this time you knew and never said a word! How could you?!" Her head whips back to her father. "And you! You not only knew, your forbade anyone else from telling me!" Then her glare settles on Sam. "And you went through all that and still kept it secret!"

All three of them look extremely guilty and begin trying to placate her.

"I'm sorry! At first, I was just freaked out, but then the Council issued an order and the magic forces me to obey it. I was physically incapable of telling you, no matter how much I wanted to say something," Sam defends.

"Honey, I'm sorry, I had no idea girls could shift. It's never happened before," Sue attempts.

"Great! So I'm a freak!" Leah snarls.

"I was trying to protect you," Harry confesses.

"Bullshit!" Leah shrieks. "There would've been no difference between me knowing the truth and Mom knowing the truth. You don't think it would've helped me to know just how much this whole situation was beyond my control, that it really didn't have anything to do with me at all, and nothing I could've said or done could've made a bit of difference to the outcome?"

She's shaking again, so Jasper sends a wave of calm out to the room. Leah freezes and demands, "What was that?"

"I simply helped you calm yourself so we wouldn't have any more medical emergencies on our hands tonight," Jasper drawls.

Her eyes flick over to where Emily is lying pale and unconscious. "What are you bloodsuckers doing on the res anyway? It's your fault I shifted in the first place."

"We were here to fix the damage _you_ help cause with your bitter hateful words and save this woman's life, your own flesh and blood," Rose growls, narrowing her eyes at Leah. "Which we did, no thanks to you."

Emmett wraps his arms around her waist in an attempt to calm her and ease the tension, "Now, honey, . . . ."

Rose scowls and huffs up at him, "No, don't 'honey' me. She wants to blame us, paint us as the villains, but she's the one who lost control of herself, Sam lost control of himself, but none of _us_ lost control. The wolves were the ones who hurt Emily, not us! We _saved_ her! Yet they're still looking down on us as if _we're_ the bad guys."

The Quileutes are all staring at her with wide eyes, processing her words. You smile proudly at her, and she flashes you a quick smile in return. Then her hard gaze returns to Leah. Putting her hands on her hips, she sternly scolds, "Look Leah, your life is difficult. I understand, believe me."

Leah burst in, interrupting her, "How could you possibly understand? Did the man you love, the man you'd been with for years, who'd promised you marriage and forever, dump you one night without warning? Did your fiance suddenly start hitting on another girl the next day, promising her undying devotion, and not just any girl, but your own cousin, your best friend, the girl you loved like a sister? Did you find out that this girl, after promising you never to get with your ex, was meeting with him behind your back and then moved into a house with him only weeks after he broke your heart? Did you then find out that your ex was werewolf and everybody knew about it but you and deliberately kept it from you? Did you then turn into a werewolf yourself and get told you were going to have to share a mind link with your ex and see his first hand accounts of how happy he and your former best friend are together in the house they share? Did you find out you were a freak, different from all the other shifters ever known?"

Rose narrows her eyes, and she quietly responds, "No, the man I was engaged to marry didn't simply tell me it was over one night. Instead, a week before our wedding, he and a group of his friends beat me mercilessly and gang-raped me in an alleyway just a few blocks from my house. They left me there in the filth, bleeding, broken, and dying. They left me for dead, sauntering away without a care in the world, _laughing_ at what they'd done to me.

Carlisle Cullen found me just before I stopped breathing and decided to change me into a bloodsucker instead of letting me die. I too am a freak among my kind, because I choose to drink from animals instead of humans, like eating tofu instead of steak. Carlisle and I are the only vampires in existence that I know of who have never drank a single drop of human blood. However, unlike Carlisle, I _have_ killed humans. I deliberately murdered them in cold blood, without spilling a drop. When I woke up as this monster that I never wanted to be, I took my revenge on the men who took my life from me, by taking theirs. I didn't drink from them, not wanting any part of them inside of me ever again. I hunted down each and every one of them, saving my asshole fiance for last. They are the only ones I've ever killed, and I don't regret it. They deserve it for cursing me to an eternity with their treatment of me as my last human memory. I have a perfect memory. I can never forget what they did, how it felt, the pain, the betrayal, the shock. . . .

I didn't have to share a mind link with my ex, but I did have to live with a mind reader for the past 80 years who thinks I'm shallow and vain, and who did nothing but belittle me for many years. I absolutely hated what I had become and was a bitter hurtful harpy until I found my soul mate Emmett. Only then was I able to find some measure of happiness in this existence, though I still mourn the loss of my humanity, especially the ability to have children of my own."

All the women in the room have tears in their eyes, and the men look sad and angry.

Rose sighs, and continues, "So, yes, I do understand, Leah. And trust me when I say, no matter how bad things are, they could always be worse."

Leah nods, hanging her head in remorse. "I'm sorry. I had no idea . . . "

Rose smiles and soothes, "Just know you're not alone, and even though things seem bleak right now, there's hope for the future. Now you have a chance to find your own soul mate, and being a wolf makes you strong and powerful. You can not only take care of yourself, you can even protect others now."

Leah straightens her shoulders and smiles at Rose, nodding. Then she turns to you. "Thank you for trying to tell me and trying to get others to tell me. You're the only one."

You smile and reply, "I figured it was only fair. It is your life after all. It's true that being near the Cullens had you shifting for the first time tonight, but that only sped up the process. You would've changed later anyway. There are other vampires, evil ones, coming to this area. They are the reason you exist. They are the reason your tribe needs protectors."

"How do you know all this?" Harry demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She's an Oracle!" Sue exclaims dreamily.

"Oh!" Harry gasps, eyes widening. "My apologies, miss." He bows his head respectfully.

You smile, amused at his sudden change in attitude. _I'm going to have to get somebody to tell me what their legends are regarding Oracles some day._

Turning to Leah, you ask, "Do you think you'd like to come stay with me for a few days while you process all these changes? I can bring you up to speed with everything I know and try to help you stay calm. I was thinking a change of scenery might help, and I'm sure Charlie wouldn't mind."

"Yes, that would awesome," she quickly agrees, flashing you a grateful smile.

"Charlie?" Harry asks in confusion. Something clicks and he wonders, "Are you . . . Bella?"

You nod, and he seems amazed.

"I'm going!" Leah declares, glaring at her father, thinking he was about to object.

Harry holds up his hands in surrender. "Of course, sweetie. You'll be safe with Chief Swan and . . . _the Oracle_."

He whispers the last two words. Sue smiles widely and nods her agreement.

_Man, these people are weird, _you think to yourself.

"I'll be in touch," Sam offers with tremulous smile, looking up from watching over Emily. "Thank you again."

You all nod and Jasper leads the way out of the clinic. While Leah gathers her things, Jasper talks with the others about the best way to deal with things at the Cullen house, and you work on figuring out how to explain to Charlie about your sudden house guest and your need to stay home and watch over her for a few days.


	18. New Roommate

**New Roommate**

"Hey, Dad, um can I talk to you?"

"Sure, kiddo, what's up?"

"I went to La Push after school today, thinking maybe I could find some of the friends I used to play with when I'd come visit you. I was talking with Leah, Sue's and Harry's daughter, and she's going through a really rough time."

"Uh, yeah, I heard she and Sam broke up," Charlie admits, shifting uncomfortably.

"Did you know they had actually been engaged and planned to get married before they suddenly broke up?" you ask, curious how much Charlie knew.

"Yeah, Harry mentioned it - the engagement - when it happened. He was over the moon about it at the time, didn't think they were too young to be considering something like that," Charlie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Marriage and commitment just don't mean the same things they used to, ya know?"

You nod and continue, "Well, not only did he break it off with her unexpectedly one day, it turned out he'd experienced head over heels love at first sight for her cousin, who was also her best friend. She just found out they're living together now in the house that was supposed to be hers one day. She's lost her fiance and her best friend, in what feels like the ultimate betrayal. It would've been like Renee leaving you for Billy. So, you can imagine how devastated she feels right now."

Charlie raised his eyebrows in shock then grimaced, nodding his understanding.

"On top of that, she found out her parents not only knew about the romance between Sam and her cousin, but some other stuff as well about her own health and future and deliberately kept it from her. So, now she feels betrayed by them as well. They thought they were protecting her, by not telling her the truth, but it was worse for her to be blindsided by it instead."

Charlie furrowed his brows in concern. "What happened?"

"Well, she has a genetic health condition that gives her seizures and has other side effects. When she gets angry or overly upset, it actually short circuits her brain, causing muscle spasms and other things that can cause a lot of damage. She had her first collapse today, which is how she found out about it. Her parents knew about it but never mentioned it or prepared her for it. It's very important she remain as calm as possible, and she really can't do that at home with the way she feels right now. She opened up to me and we hit it off, so Sue and Harry asked if it would be okay for her to stay with us for a little while until she can calm down and adjust to her medical condition."

"Wow! Yeah, sure, of course she can stay."

"Look, you know I'm a good student, and I promise I'll keep up with my work, but I need to stay with Leah for the next few days. I'm not trying to play hooky. It's just that Sue said she could collapse again at anytime if she gets overwrought and need urgent care. Sue doesn't want her left alone. Plus, with all the emotional upheaval over the situation with Sam on top of the onset of the medical stuff, Sue's concerned that Leah might do something reckless or start hurting herself. I'd feel awful if something happened while I was at school," you explain awkwardly, twisting your fingers and clearing your throat nervously.

Charlie smiles fondly at you. "No problem, Bells. I know you're a diligent student. I'll call the school and arrange for someone to bring you your work. Harry's one of my oldest friends. Of course I won't let anything happen to his daughter on my watch."

You give him a relieved smile and a brief hug. "Thanks, Dad. I knew I could count on you."

He nods, looking away and shifting position, uncomfortable with all the mushiness.

**xxxxxxx**

Upstairs in your room, you apologize to Leah, knowing she's heard every word. "I hope you don't mind the way I explained it. I wasn't sure what to say."

Leah shrugs and admits, "Well, you couldn't exactly tell him I morph into a giant dog, now could you?"

"I could have, but then he'd be on the phone with loony bin wanting to know how soon the little men in white coats could get my new padded room ready," you snicker.

She snorts and nods in agreement. "Though I suppose I could've always proved it was true and saved you the trip."

"Oh, I'd love to see that! The minute you started taking off your clothes, telling him you had something to 'show him', he'd have fainted on the spot or maybe run in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him. He'd never have even made it to the whole wolf part. He'd be too afraid to look in your direction the minute you started getting undressed for fear of what 'else' he might see," you chortle, remembering what happened when Jacob told Charlie in Breaking Dawn.

Leah laughs along with you. "He'd be red as a beet too, stuttering all over the place."

Once you two have relaxed and gotten Leah relatively settled, you have a long discussion with her, telling her everything you know about the wolves and what she can expect, as well as all the things you think she should know about the vampire world and the things that had been shared with Sam earlier that day. You speak briefly with Jasper over the phone, and he promises to come by in the morning to let you know how things went at the Cullen house upon their return.

You give Leah a notebook to use as a journal so she can try to get a handle on her emotions and begin processing everything. You know she doesn't need as much sleep as you do, in addition to having a million thoughts whirling through her mind at the moment, and you're exhausted, so you figure it might help her to focus her thoughts instead of dwelling on them while you're sleeping. You recommend she make a list of questions she wants to ask Sam, Emily, her parents, you, and the vampires to be addressed either tomorrow or as soon as possible.

Thankfully, Leah appreciates your offer and accepts it gracefully. She's already gotten over half a page filled by the time you fall asleep, which is mere seconds after your head hits the pillow.

**xxxxxxx**

You wake up refreshed and ready to tackle a new day. You can hear Leah bustling around downstairs, and a quick peek out your window shows that Charlie has already left for work. Gathering up a change of clothes, you hurry into the shower to get ready.

Coming downstairs, hair still damp, you receive a cheery good morning from Leah, who is busy wolfing down a plate full of scrambled eggs.

"Did you save me any?" you ask with amusement.

She grins and points to a plate on the counter, which contains a modest serving. Grabbing it and a fork, you sit down across from her at the table and dig in enthusiastically. "Mmmm, these are good, thank you," you murmur in appreciation after swallowing.

She smiles and nods, continuing to shovel her own food in as if in a race.

"Slow down! We'll get more if need be," you tease, happy to see her smiling.

She grimaces and admits, "I'm starving! One good thing about this whole wolf thing - no more dieting!"

"I'd love to be able to eat anything and everything without gaining an ounce," you confess wistfully. "I'd be in the bakery every day."

She grins, "You've got a point. I wonder how much ice cream I could go through in a week?"

"Mmmm, Ben and Jerry's by the gallon," you agree dreamily.

She nods and laughs.

A knock on the door brings you out of your daydreams of hot fudge sundaes. Leah tenses and starts trembling, alerting you that it's probably Jasper.

"Don't worry, they're on our side," you remind her. She nods, but remains tense, all hint of laughter gone.

The moment you open the door, you're immediately surrounded by the Major, the scent and feel of him overwhelming your senses. You feel him nuzzling your neck and rubbing himself all over you, slipping his hands up under your shirt, reapplying his scent to your clean skin.

"Mmmm, good morning, lover," you moan, wrapping yourself around him, luxuriating in his embrace, your own hands busy touching as much of him as you can.

After a couple of minutes of the two of you rubbing against each other, Leah's voice penetrates the fog of lusty pleasure clouding your mind. "Ugh, get a room people! Some of us _were_ trying to eat over here, you know."

Jasper growls in frustration at the interruption, but Emmett laughs heartily.

"Hiya, lady wolf," he greets her cheerfully.

"Next time you might want to shut the door before dry humping her in the entryway," Rose adds with a smirk, shutting the front door herself for emphasis. You blush a deep red and hope none of Charlie's neighbors had gotten an eyeful. The last thing you want is for him to get a report of his daughter's lascivious activities while staying home from school.

Jasper groans and kisses your neck one more time before lifting his head to stare into your eyes. "Hello," he purrs.

You grin widely up at him and reach up on tiptoes, pulling his head down to kiss his lips.

"Oh, no, don't get started again," Leah protests, standing in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over her chest. She is still shaking slightly, but seems to have it under control.

You reluctantly pull away from him and pout. "Why did I invite you over again?"

"So the little psychic leech wouldn't notice you swapping spit with the guy she's been pretending is her mate for the past 50 years," she reminds you dryly.

"Oh, yeah," you sigh. "Guess I'll have to keep you around then."

"Wow, that's really touching," she drawls sarcastically. "I feel so warm and fuzzy inside, knowing how much you want me here."

Rose smirks and agrees, "I know, can't you just feel the love?"

Leah shudders and grimaces. "That's the problem - I _can _feel the love, along with everything else he's projecting, and it's creeping me out. Reign it in, empath, before I get a complex. Bella's hot and all, but I'm really not into girls, at least I wasn't before. These days, it seems anything's possible." She makes a face, and everyone laughs.

Taking Jasper's hand, you head into the living room, waiting for him to sit in Charlie's chair and then settling comfortably in his lap while Rose and Em take the couch and Leah sits as far away as she can over by the window. She even opens the window and takes a deep breath of fresh air, which seems to help her calm down a little.

"Rose, would you mind opening the windows in the kitchen so we can get a bit of a cross breeze?" you quietly request. Quick as a wink Rose takes care of it and is back on the sofa again.

"Thanks," Leah mutters, turning her nose toward the window before inhaling again.

"Okay, I know you have a ton of questions," you acknowledge. "However, unless there's anything urgent, I'd really like to know how things went at the Cullen house last night."

Leah gives you a half smile. "By all means . . ."

You nod and look up at Jasper expectantly.

**xxxxxxx**

AN: Sorry, an annoying place to leave it, I know. I'll try to update it as quickly as possible. Any input on the Cullen family meeting last night?


	19. Catching up with the Cullens

**Catching up with the Cullens**

"While you were working things out with Leah, we discussed things with Sam, deciding how much of the events to reveal. I was concerned about having your scent all over me, and Sam actually hugged me to mask it. He said to tell the others it was a hug of gratitude for saving Emily's life," Jasper informs you, wrinkling his nose. "It was a brilliant strategy, worked like a charm. Alice wouldn't get within ten feet of me until I'd gotten a shower and burned my clothes. The only down side was having to run all the way home soaked in shifter stench."

"You should've seen the look on his face every time he got a whiff of himself," Emmett laughs uproariously, causing everyone else to chuckle, even Leah. "We made sure to stay upwind. Sam offered Rosie a hug too, but she politely declined."

"Since when was 'Oh, HELL, no, if you touch me you'll be missing body parts!' considered polite?" Jasper drawls.

Rose flutters her lashes, attempting to appear innocent. "Well, I didn't describe in detail _which_ body parts . . ."

Leah laughs and nods her head in approval, causing Rose to wink at her.

Edward lets himself in the door and joins the rest of you in the living room, adding, "Trust me, compared to her thoughts on the matter, that _was_ polite!"

"Come on in and make yourself at home," you murmur sarcastically.

"Sorry," Edward mutters, embarrassed. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"Don't ever enter my home uninvited unless it's to save my life," you warn seriously. "That goes for everyone. I know you're all supernatural beings for whom locks and other deterrents are no object, but I want you to honor human customs as far as my house is concerned, out of respect to me, got it?"

They all nod, some more sheepishly than others.

"Other than common courtesy, I do have a lovely young shape shifter living with me, and explaining any wolf sized or vampire shaped holes in the walls to Charlie, because somebody got startled by an unexpected visitor, would be rather awkward and uncomfortable," you offer.

They all smirk in response, and Edward apologizes once again.

"Okay, so you came home stinking to high heaven, then what?"

"While he was off in the shower, Carlisle and Esme were busy checking over the rest of us and hugging us, making sure we were all okay," Edward explains. "We agreed to wait for Jasper to join us for a family meeting before discussing anything, simply letting them know we were fine and that the treaty was essentially intact but that the new Alpha would likely want to meet with Carlisle to go over it. Carlisle was amenable and curious about our experience. He seemed eager to meet Sam, remembering his chats with Ephraim fondly."

"Alice couldn't stop complaining about how our futures had disappeared, how she was sure we were dead, and how horrible it was that she couldn't 'see' us," Emmett adds with a smug grin. "She absolutely hated not knowing what happened and having to wait to find out like a normal person."

"Couldn't she see the results of the family meeting though since it was just y'all?" you ask, surprised. "I'd think she'd be able to find out what happened that way anyway."

Rose narrows her eyes and explains with suppressed excitement, "No, apparently because the discussion was regarding the wolves and our interactions with them past, present, and future, somehow she couldn't see that either."

Your eyebrows shoot up in shock. "Really? That's great news! It may help us tremendously. If you include talking about the shifters in your conversations, is the entire conversation hidden from her sight? Though, if I were her, I'd have decided to write a transcript of the meeting in my journal afterward, which she should've then been able to 'read' in her visions."

"Mmmm, you are devious," Jasper purrs, nuzzling against you. "Thank heavens she isn't as clever as you are."

The others nod thoughtfully.

"Once I was presentable again, Alice demanded to know why I came home smelling like I'd bathed in shifter sweat. I mentioned that the Alpha had hugged me out of gratitude for our help in saving his imprint's life. Carlisle was immediately impressed and demanded details. We informed him that Sam had accidentally harmed his mate when unintentionally phasing too close to her. She was bleeding out rapidly, and we were near enough to hear his howl of distress, with Edward able to determine the cause."

"We claimed that was when I attempted to call Carlisle, all freaked out, seeking his help, but that Sam had made it clear there were already too many of our kind near him to bring anyone else into the picture. I used my skills as a translator for Sam's thoughts and Rose offered her medical skills to stop the bleeding, while Jasper kept us all calm."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Emmett whines.

"Yep," Edward agrees, smirking with amusement. Emmett tries to punch him, but Edward dodges it. "Carlisle was extremely proud of all of us, especially Rose when she described the surgery to him."

"He was worried about the fact we went all the way into La Push, but we assured him we were on our best behavior and that the tribe was thankful for our intervention," Jasper adds. "Alice was quiet, but I could tell from her emotions that she was scheming. The fact that the wolves are back took her by surprise, but there was a malicious glee that doesn't bode well for her intentions."

"I told her I was worried because while we were in La Push one of the young ladies phased. Carlisle was fascinated to hear about it, knowing there had only ever been male shifters previously. I told them that the young lady in question was a friend of yours and that her parents were good friends with Charlie, and the new shifter was going to be staying with you for a few days while she adjusted to the change," Edward continues.

"I'm sorry Leah, but we had to tell them a little bit about your situation so they'd understand why your parents and Sam would risk exposure to allow you to stay with the Swans," Rose explains apologetically.

Leah shrugs, looking away uncomfortably.

"We didn't tell them any more than absolutely necessary to get the gist across," Rose continues, sighing. "I wouldn't like other people sharing my story either, so I'm sorry."

Leah nods, still looking away. "I understand," she whispered.

"Alice didn't know what to think about you having a wolf living with you. I asked her how I was supposed to win you over when the shifter wouldn't let me get close to you. She didn't have any ideas, simply told me to be patient and wait until Leah went back to the res before trying to approach you. She did seem happy thinking Jasper wouldn't be able to get close to you either though," Edward tells you. "I told her I was afraid for your safety after what Sam unintentionally did to Emily and that I wanted Jasper to help keep Leah calm. She wasn't happy, but couldn't say anything without admitting she lied about you being my mate. Of course, Carlisle and Esme immediately agreed with me and insisted Jasper and I both keep watch to make sure nothing happened to you."

"Well played, Edward," you praise, smirking at the thought of how frustrated Alice would've been.

"I confided to Esme later when she and I were alone that I felt bad for Leah being the only female and for her circumstances. I told her I could relate to feeling betrayed by one's fiance and then becoming something supernatural. I said I thought maybe I could help her adjust to her situation and reduce tension between our family and the tribe at the same time, possibly becoming friends like Ephraim and Carlisle used to be. She absolutely loved the idea and gave me her full blessing, encouraging me to befriend you too. She already considers you her daughter, now that she knows you'll be joining the family some day," Rose admits. She grins widely at you. "I agreed to set aside my prejudice against humans and make an exception for you."

"Why thank you, Rose, I'm touched," you tease. "You're turning into such a golden child, the model daughter."

She flips you the bird and you laugh.

Turning to Leah, Rose murmurs, "I really would like to be friends, if you're amenable."

Leah meets her gaze and smiles tremulously, giving her a small nod.

"So, it sounds like you have everything under control now, and we're able to keep Alice in the dark," you summarize. "Only a few more weeks, right?"

Jasper purrs and murmurs, "A few more weeks and Alice will no longer be an issue, I promise."

A hard knock on the door startles you, since you're not expecting anyone.

"Come in, Sam!" Jasper calls out, rubbing his hands down your arms to soothe you.

Sam enters and stands in the doorway to the living room, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

"How's Emily?" you inquire.

He bites his lip, then blurts, "She's healed. Like _completely _healed. As in I can barely even see the marks with my enhanced vision! It doesn't make any sense! What did you guys do?"

Everyone stares at him in amazement. "We didn't do anything to explain that," Rose confesses. "I did a great job on the stitches, but it shouldn't be anywhere near healed. I don't understand."

Sam looks even more worried now as he sees the surprised faces on the vampires.

"You did give her your blood to replace what she lost," you remind him, thinking aloud. "Is it possible she received the effects of wolf-healing from it?"

He was startled by the suggestion, but the others began murmuring to one another, thinking it made sense.

"What does this mean for her?" he wonders, frightened. "Is she going to shift too?"

"Only if it's altered her own DNA somehow," you counter. "That doesn't seem likely, unless she already had DNA from one or two of the lines and it's now been activated by exposure to yours. Though considering she's Leah's second cousin who descends from all three lines, it's highly likely Emily does descend from at least one of the three. So, who knows? It depends on how the magic works, I guess."

Sam leans heavily against the door frame, shaking slightly. "Why did you tell me to use _my _blood?" he wails.

You frown and explain, "You were the most willing and able to give her what she needed. Plus, it made sense that your blood would be the most compatible, since no part of you would want to hurt her. And you needed to do something to atone in your own mind for hurting her in the first place. Besides, if she does shift, what's so bad about that? She'd be able to help share your life and would be better able to protect and defend herself. She'd be able to keep from aging and stay by your side until you're both ready to settle down and stop shifting."

He turns frightened eyes to you and whimpers, "But what if the imprint doesn't work both ways? What if she imprints on someone else?"

You raise your eyebrows in surprised contemplation. "That would make life difficult for you, wouldn't it? Talk about a love triangle. I don't know what to tell you, dude. You'll just have to wait and see."


	20. Reminiscing

**Reminiscing**

_So much has happened in the past five weeks_, you think, remembering it all.

Sam brought Emily over to see us and she did indeed shift after vampire exposure. Luckily for them both, she promptly imprinted on Sam as he calmed her down. Sam was now over the moon to have Emily as part of the pack, running alongside of him during patrols. He was thrilled that she was less vulnerable to attack and better able to protect herself. She loved being able to go with him on patrols instead of waiting fearfully at home, never knowing when or if he would return.

An interesting side effect was that Emily's shifting had altered the telepathic bond between the wolves, increasing between the imprinted couple but decreasing between the other wolves. Sam and Emily had an open telepathic bond even when they were in human form, but whenever they were in wolf form, they no longer had to worry about their stray thoughts being overheard by Leah, nor did Leah have worry about them reading any unwanted thoughts of hers. Only the thoughts and memories they chose to share were shared.

Emily had shared all her memories with Leah of resisting Sam for Leah's sake despite how awful it made her feel to resist the pull and to push Sam away and especially to see Sam hurting from her rejection. Seeing it from Emily's perspective and knowing she had truly tried to fight the magic purely out of love for Leah had helped Leah to heal from her bitterness. She no longer felt betrayed by either of them, able to experience the pull first hand through both of their memories. She and Emily were now sisters again.

Paul and Jarrod had joined the pack as well, about a week after Leah. Sam had taken your advice and prepared them as much as possible before the initial phasing. He had then arranged for both of them to meet their imprints as quickly as possible afterward, knowing it would help both of them calm down and accept their new lives in the supernatural world without as much bitterness or hatred. Rachel and Kim had been introduced to Emily, who had told them what sharing Sam's blood had done for her. Both girls had then insisted on sharing blood with their imprints, which was handled by Sue, and had then shifted as well, joining the pack.

Leah was slightly miffed about being in a pack with three mated couples, but the changes in the telepathy brought about by having the imprints join ensured she didn't have to be assaulted by unwanted intimate thoughts from the others. Leah had decided against returning to the res, having developed a close friendship with both you and Rose. She loved the idea of thwarting Alice at every opportunity and was proud to be part of the war effort.

Thanks to Sam's memories of the vampires saving Emily's life and being completely unaffected by her blood, and Leah's memories of the friendship and trust bestowed upon her by you and the Cullens, all the wolves were friendly with Jasper, Rose, Emmett, and Edward.

Billy wasn't happy at all about his daughter being imprinted upon by Paul nor about her choosing to become a shifter herself. He was also unhappy about the friendship with the Cullens, despite his knowledge of Ephraim's relationship with Carlisle. Ephraim's son had felt ashamed by his father's friendship with 'the enemy' and had hidden the knowledge from the other elders of his generation, destroying the letters Carlisle had sent and only passing down the knowledge and shame to his own son. Billy hated that the secret was now out, thanks to Edward showing the wolves Ephraim's letters to Carlisle that the vampire had sentimentally kept. Billy didn't want anyone knowing his grandfather had been a 'leech lover' as his father had derisively remarked many times. He hated that his daughter now fell into that category as well, having befriended the Cullens along with Leah and Sam.

Rachel stuck to her guns and had informed Jacob of the truth about all of it as well to prepare him, despite Billy's orders against it. As soon as Jacob found out what was really going on with Paul and his sister, he wanted to be part of the pack. He begged them to be introduced to the vampires, so he could begin shifting as well. Rachel tried to put him off, asking him to wait until he was older, but he loved the idea of being buff like the other male shifters and insisted it was part of his destiny. He did agree not to fight Sam for the position of Alpha, knowing he wasn't ready for that level of responsibility.

You had wondered what would happen once Jacob phased, knowing Renesmee had no chance at all of existing in this world. After all, there was no way in hell Edward's sperm would be getting anywhere near one of your eggs to create her. Not only that, but Jacob had not even laid eyes on you since Bella was a child, and therefore had no opportunity to develop a crush on you at all. Your question was answered in the best possible way. Rose and Emmett had gone with Leah and Rachel to meet with Jacob two days ago and trigger his shifting genes. A confident, healed, and happy Leah had met the eyes of a freshly shifted heart-whole Jacob, and the imprint had occurred for both of them right then and there.

Now the pack was four couples strong, a fact that had been deliberately kept from Alice, who was still under the mistaken impression there were only the original two wolves, Sam and Leah. Since all the wolves were mated and loved having their imprints as their equals, sharing their supernatural lives with them, they all understood what was happening between you and Jasper. They understood the bond between the two of you and the necessity of you joining him as a vampire as soon as you were ready. Having been in close proximity with the vampires for weeks, training, laughing, and playing with them, they had first hand knowledge of the vampires' control around humans. Thus, you had their blessing and encouragement to join Jasper as his equal.

Of course, now that Jacob and Leah have imprinted, Leah has decided to return to the res to be close to him. Since he is only 15, he doesn't have as much freedom as the older boys. Leah is keeping Jacob firmly in hand, helping him deal with his father's fear and animosity. They haven't informed Billy yet that Jacob has officially joined the pack, but they plan to do so in the next day or two.

Charlie has really enjoyed having all the young people around and will certainly miss Leah when she goes. His relationship with Billy is rather strained at the moment, having stood up for Rachel's right to choose her own friends. He loves the four Cullens he knows and can't understand Billy's irrational hatred, especially after seeing how well the Cullens and the Quileute pack get along together. From Charlie's point of view, Billy is holding onto unfounded prejudices that the next generation has dismissed altogether.

Harry and Sue have come to visit several times over the past four weeks. At first you were amused by their behavior, but then it started to feel creepy, so you prevailed upon your friends to discover what on earth those two were expecting from you by naming you as an Oracle with a capital 'O'. Turns out there were oracles in the past who predicted the coming of the European settlers and the aftermath of their settlement in the area.

While the Quileute ancestors were spirit walkers, like Taha Aki, oracles are supposedly able to communicate with the spirit world, receiving information from divine sources. There hadn't been an oracle to the tribe for over a hundred years. The most recent oracle, from the 19th century, had given the tribe information which prevented the slaughter of their people back in 1889, when a settler wrongfully claimed their land and burnt down every single house in the village. The Quileutes lost every last bit of their pre-contact artifacts in the fires, except for those items that had been relocated to private collections and museums. Thanks to the oracle's warning, none of the people lost their lives though, and they were able to capture the man who had burned their homes and belongings to ashes.

Prior to that, another oracle had warned the tribe of the impending defeat and subsequent extinction of the Quileutes' only kindred, the Chimakum tribe, who were in what is now known as Port Townsend. Chief Seattle and his Suquamish tribe wiped out the entire Chimakum tribe in the 1860's, leaving the Quileutes without any known relatives on earth. The oracle had warned the Quileutes not to join forces with their brethren in an attempt to help protect them, informing them that if they did, both tribes would be extinguished instead of just the one.

Thus, Harry and Sue believe you will be able to save their tribe from slaughter and extinction, as oracles have done in the past, though each time the Quileutes have paid a heavy price to walk away with their lives intact. You're not thrilled with the position in which they've placed you, but further thought made you realize how many of their people might have died if the vampire war were to take place the way Alice and James have been planning, especially considering this immediate area is the chosen location of the battle. Thus, your intervention and help in bringing the wolves and vampires together as friends and allies has definitely helped protect their people

Speaking of which, according to Jasper, Alice and James have been quite busy over the past week, calling each of the hidden encampments and telling them to prepare for battle. Peter and Char have been going around to each encampment and helping their spies within eliminate any and all threats, using their knowledge of discussing the wolves to keep Alice blind to any decisions they make. By the time James and Alice call in their troops, anyone who was loyal to them will no longer exist.

You can't wait for the whole war aspect to be over and done so you can just relax and enjoy your time with your mate. You've had some hot and heavy intimate time, but haven't fully consummated the relationship. Now that Leah is going back to the res, you might get enough privacy to consider it. Especially now that you're finally a month into the birth control pills, since a little experimentation proved latex condoms weren't made to withstand vampire venom.

After reading about the hell Bella went through to have her hybrid baby, you figure you'll just have Carlisle harvest some of your eggs either right before or at the beginning of your change, before the venom gets to them, just in case you and Jasper ever decide you want to have a kid of your own. Maybe you can convince one of Joham's daughters to carry the baby for you, since they're so much stronger than a human and would likely be able to withstand the baby's kicking. Or if not, there's always the chance of using a brain-dead coma patient as a surrogate mom. If they're brain-dead anyway, they won't feel any of the pain associated with the pregnancy, and it won't be any loss for them to die afterward. The baby's genetics would still be all yours and Jasper's since you'd be using your eggs, just borrowing someone else's uterus as an incubator. There's plenty of time to worry about that kind of thing later. First, you both need to survive the upcoming war.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN**: Sorry for the change in format for this chapter, but I wanted to get the show on the road and get ready for battle. We'll be back to normal for the next chapter.


	21. Mating Instincts

**Mating Instincts**

"Something's changed," Jasper growls, looking at his phone.

"What is it?" Rose questions.

"I don't know, but Peter says it's something major that affects us all. Alice will be calling shortly, and her time frame with James has altered by several days. Peter says he and Char may not get here in time for the initial confrontation."

"I don't like this," Emmet growls. "What if something happens to Bella?"

Your frown, wondering, "Do you think Alice saw something of our plans? We've been so careful. Maybe she's figured out a way around the conversations Peter and Char are having? Has she seen something from one of the compounds?"

Leah snarls, "Dammit! They better not screw up! We don't need a _real_ vampire war in our backyard."

"Have you gotten anything from her thoughts, Ed?" Jake asks, trying to calm Leah down with his touch.

Edward frowns and shakes his head. "Nothing that indicated the need for a change to our plans or that she'd finally started seeing around us."

"Try harder," Rose demands, hands on her hips, eyes flashing.

"I _am_ trying harder," Edward insists defensively. "I've gotten better at delving deeper, past the primary superficial level of thought when I concentrate hard enough. I've also been following her without detection when she goes off on her own to check the future or communicate with James. She hasn't caught me yet, either through visions or by noticing my presence nearby. I stick to the trees, and my gift works further out than our senses of sight, smell, or hearing, so she doesn't know I'm listening."

"Yes, you've been very helpful, Edward, thank you," Jasper soothes, patting Edward on the back.

Edward smiles and continues, "I did tell you which compounds she'd be calling and which ones James would be stopping at in person on the way here."

Jasper nods, but before he can say anything else, his phone rings. He scowls at the caller ID and snaps, "Yes?"

"I've seen something important! There's a couple of nomads headed our way to give us a warning about something they heard regarding our family. I can't see what they're going to tell us exactly. I guess they haven't decided what to say yet. However, I do know we all need to be there, including Bella," Alice chirps.

"Bella? Why do you want _her_ there?" Jasper asks. "What possible good would that do?"

"I'm not sure, I just know it's important she be there with us," Alice replies.

"Important how? It would be the height of stupidity to involve a human in our dealings with other vampires," Jasper drawls.

"Look, she needs to be there, okay? She'll be fine, they won't hurt her," Alice assures him, starting to sound annoyed.

"How can you be sure when you don't even know what they want or what they're going to say? I've just spent the past 5 weeks watching over a human to keep her safe from both Edward's bloodlust and the wrath of her werewolf roommate, all because Esme is already attached to the girl," Jasper complains, sending you his love to let you know he doesn't really mean it. "I don't want all that effort wasted because some nomad gets a hankering for a little snack, nor do I want to deal with Esme's emotions after she watches her new little daughter get drained right in front of her."

"They won't drain her, okay? I promise," Alice wheedles. "I don't' know why she has to be there, but it'll go badly for the rest of us if she isn't there."

"I don't like it, Alley Cat," Jasper protests, using his fake term of endearment and glaring pointedly at Edward.

"No, Alice, I won't allow my mate anywhere near human drinkers!" Edward quickly responds on Jasper's behalf. "Are you crazy? Who would bring a human to a vampire meeting?"

Alice growls angrily, "One who wants the whole family to survive. We need her there."

"No! Find another way," Edward insists, watching Jasper carefully, listening to his thoughts to know what to say.

"You're not going to risk the whole family with your stubbornness," she seethes and hangs up abruptly. Jasper slams his hand down on the table.

"What now?" Emmett wonders aloud what you and the others are all thinking.

"Go after her," Jasper orders Edward. "Decide you're going to Port Angeles with Bella, just the two of you for the rest of the day, and then go find out what the hell that little bitch is planning."

Edward nods and dashes out the door without another word. Jasper jumps up and starts pacing. Watching him, you ask, "What if you just go ahead and change me? I know I'm not gonna be a normal newborn, and I can't see how I could possibly be more vulnerable as a newborn than as a human."

"What about Charlie?" Rose protests before Jasper can say anything.

You frown, having gotten somewhat attached to Charlie over the past few weeks, despite not being his real daughter. He'd been a great father figure so far, not only for you, but for the vampires and wolves too. Though he's a man of few words, he never hesitated to step in if tensions rose or if the boys got carried away with their trash talk to the point of causing hurt feelings. He was supportive of everyone, always willing to share a few words of wisdom if anyone requested his advice. Yet he stayed out of everyone's business until someone asked for his opinion, making his advice all the more valuable, particularly to the teenagers.

"The wolves will take care of him if need be, but better I become a vampire than end up six feet under, for the sake of everyone, Charlie included," you declare. "I happen to know Charlie is good with weird and will be able to handle knowing the truth about the shifters and will be content with knowing I'm different without needing to know details about why or how. As long as I'm happy, he'll be content to be part of my life without asking too many questions, satisfied with being on a need to know basis with the whole thing."

The others all exchange glances then look to Jasper for the answer.

Jasper comes over and kneels in front of you, taking your hands in his. Sighing, he admits, "I'm sorry, darlin', I _do_ want to change you. I've been fightin' the urge to change you from the moment we met. My protective instincts are screaming at me not to leave you in such a vulnerable state. Unfortunately, I also know that while you're changing I won't be able to leave your side for a minute. It's impossible to leave one's mate while they're in that state between human and vampire, unable to even move, much less attempt to protect themselves against any potential threat. It's the time when you're most vulnerable to death - the permanent kind.

Additionally, once you're a newborn, your own instincts will be very strong, if not all consuming, and you won't be able to be away from me. We will claim each other quite publicly and be incapable of even the level of subterfuge we currently manage, which admittedly isn't much. If Alice, Carlisle, or Esme were to come within 100 yards of this house on any given day, it would be immediately obvious to them that we're together. Plus, no matter how much I like and trust the people here, I won't be able to allow any other males remotely close to you while you're changing or shortly thereafter.

I'm sorry, darlin'. I simply can't afford to put us in that position until we can be open about our mated status. I was willin' to throw away decades of undercover work pretendin' to be with the traitor and run away with you to protect you, but you swore you wanted to do this, to continue the plan and see it through. I just need a little more time, but I promise you that you still come first with me. If it looks like you're in danger, the rest of the world can go fuck themselves. I promise I will race off somewhere with you, change you and keep you safe, until you're able to defend yourself and fight by my side."

"Okay, Jasper, I understand," you agree, squeezing his hands, a few silent tears spilling over and trickling down your cheeks, touched by his words and the resolved in his eyes. "I love you and will be with you every step of the way, forever."

He smiles lovingly at you and kisses you deeply, pouring his emotions into your body and surrounding you with his affection.

"Yo, lovebirds, get a room will ya?" Paul calls, having been let into the house by Leah while you were distracted with Jasper. Jasper knocks him to the ground with an emotional cocktail without even breaking your kiss.

"Idiot," Rachel mutters, dragging Paul out of the room by his foot to help him recover.

"Yep, that's Paul, alright," Leah replies flippantly, causing the others to laugh.

"I can't wait til we're alone," you groan against Jasper's lips.

He chuckles and backs away. "I feel the need to train," he declares, causing the other guys to wince.

"Hey, Emmett, you're up first," Jake quickly volunteers. The wolves have the utmost respect for Jasper, having been training with him for weeks, and none of them want to be up against him while he's worrying over his mate's safety.

"Damn," Emmet curses, knowing Jasper will be particularly fierce at the moment.

"Maybe we should do some group training," Rose carefully suggests, sizing up her brother's mood. "I think it would be a good time to show everyone how to handle multiple targets at one time." She wants her husband to come out of this in one piece and hopes if they all attack Jasper at the same time it will help him burn off the energy he needs while keeping the rest of them from getting overly injured in the process. She doesn't delude herself into thinking they might win against him, even as a group, but hopes they'll be able to spread out the damage so it isn't too much for any one individual.

Jasper eagerly agrees, knowing he needs something of a challenge to burn off some of his worries and fears regarding his mate until he can get more information and know what he's up against.

Luckily for everyone, Edward returns an hour later, when they're all ready to surrender. Jasper is feeling better and is the only one not only unscathed, but still standing. Even Emmett and Rose are sitting down, unwilling to put forth another charge against the Major.

The Major is instantly in front of Edward the moment he enters the yard. "Report," he barks, causing Edward to unconsciously stand at attention.

Edward is practically vibrating with excitement as he gushes, "My mate! It's because I find my mate! I saw the vision - she keeps going over it and over it wondering how she missed it before, why she never saw it in all the times she's had visions of the upcoming meeting over the years. There's a red headed female named Vicki traveling with James that James has been referring to as his mate for decades now, the same way Alice has been claiming Jasper. Alice had a vision of Vicki and I meeting each other's eyes across the field, feeling the mating bond, and immediately staking claim on one another!"

"_Victoria_ is your mate?!" you blurt out in shocked disbelief.

Edward eyes you curiously, but nods happily, blissfully continuing, "Of course, that then throws everything into chaos and has Carlisle and Esme questioning Alice how she could have been wrong about Bella being my mate and quickly becoming suspicious as to why she lied. As soon as they start questioning her about Bella, Vicki gets upset about hearing my name linked with another female, pulling her out of the mating haze, at which point she then attacks James for lying to her about being her mate. Alice reacts to the attack on her real mate by jumping in to defend him, thus exposing herself as having lied about her relationship to Jasper. All the lies she's worked at building over the years quickly unravel, with her and James becoming prisoners and our family escorting them to the Volturi to be 'questioned' by Aro."

"Nice!" Emmett cheers, enjoying the mental picture.

Edward grins at him and adds, "Yeah, it totally freaks her out every time she sees it. So she figured out that if she quickly claims James as her mate and pushes Jasper to claim Bella as his all at the same time I claim Victoria, then all of us will be in the mating haze at the same time and it will prevent any fights from breaking out or blame falling upon her.

When Emmett asks what the hell is going on, James will say he came across Chelsea's scent on the way there. Then Alice will create a false vision of Chelsea reporting to Aro that she had broken our mating bonds and reattached them to different people. Aro will praise her for causing so much confusion among our gifted ones and say it should be easy to get us all to come and join his Guard now. Alice expects me to corroborate her vision, so Carlisle will not question its validity, causing the first major break in Carlisle's trust of Aro.

Alice is planning to use this 'betrayal' to bond our covens together against the Volturi and thinks it's even better than her original plan. She's glad now that Bella came along when she did, and that's why Bella has to be there. She thinks this will cause us all to be even more loyal and open to one another than we would have been and thinks this must have all been part of her original plan, even though she didn't see any of it."

He pauses for a minute, giving everyone time to absorb and process his words, then laughs and exclaims, "I can't believe I'm finally going to meet my mate! She's absolutely gorgeous and really powerful too, with a gift of escape." He stares off to the side, obviously lost in thoughts of her.

"That's awesome, bro!" Emmett declares, clapping him on the back enthusiastically. "I can't wait to meet her."

You're surprised and confused by this turn of events. _Edward and Victoria? _Thinking about it, you tell him, "You know, you've changed a lot over the past month, since you learned the truth, Edward. I don't think Vicki would've been a good mate for the person you were before. You were rather judgmental and self-loathing in the past. Now you're a lot more open-minded toward others, more forgiving of yourself and others too. You know how to relax and have fun with others, how to take a joke without getting all worked up about it. You're also not as conceited as you used to be, recognizing your own fallacies and aren't blind to Alice's manipulations. Honestly, I didn't really like the guy you used to be, but I enjoy handing out with the person you are now."

"Uh, thanks, I think," Edward murmurs, not sure what to make of your little speech.

"No, she's right," Rose agrees. "You've come a long way in a short time. You know I've never been a fan of yours, but now you're a fairly decent guy. I don't really mind having you around, and I'm no longer ashamed to call you my brother."

Edward raises an eyebrow and snorts. "Thanks so much for that ringing endorsement, sis. I love you too."

"See! That right there is what we're talking about!" Emmett cheers. "Way to go, bro! The old Eddie would've probably pouted and gone whining to Esme that everybody's being mean. But you've actually developed a sense of humor and even learned how to talk smack. It makes me so proud." He pretends to wipe away a fake tear.

Jasper looks at us thoughtfully. "It's an interesting idea. Maybe Alice didn't see you and Vicki becoming mates before because you weren't properly matched before. Maybe neither of you would've been happy with the other before. In fact, from what I've heard about her personality, I don't think she would've respected the guy you used to be at all, nor would you have even given her a second glance, much less a chance. I seriously doubt you would've accepted her, knowing all the shit she's done and been through with James.

You never really accepted _me_ before, because of my past with Maria, even though I was feeding exclusively from animals by the time we met. You never let me forget my past - it always came between us, and it would've been the same way with Vicki. Now you've learned to look past it and see who I really am, liking and respecting me for the choices I've made whenever I knew there was an option. Now you can do the same for Vicki, making the mate bond possible."

Edward looks at everyone curiously and a bit apprehensively. "Could it really be possible? Would I have never found my mate if I hadn't overheard you guys talking that day? What does it mean for our kind if mates aren't a fixed entity? What if we change after we have our mate? Is it possible mates aren't forever like we thought?"

"You know how hard it is for us to change in any significant way. I think after we have our mates, we learn to grow and change together," Rose muses. "I can't imagine anything Emmett could do that would make me stop loving him and needing him. We've both changed as a result of recent events, but the changes have only brought us closer than ever. Trust me - the changes you've made are definitely for the better. Everyone likes you much better now."

"If I keep changing before I meet her, will she no longer be my mate? What if I lose her?" Edward worries. He opens his mouth to continue, but stops when his phone rings. Frowning down at the caller ID, he answers it respectfully. "Hello, Carlisle."

He listens for a few moments, his eyes fixed on Jasper. Jasper nods once, his face serious, and Edward sighs. "Yes, sir, we'll meet you in the clearing at 10am."

He pauses for a few more moments, then replies, "I promise we'll both be there."

He ends the call, eyes wide, caught between fear and excitement.

"Well, I guess that answers that question," Emmett announces, shrugging his shoulders. "I doubt you're going to do all that much changing before 10am tomorrow morning. I think you've pretty much got this one in the bag."


	22. Betrayal

**Betrayal**

"So, what are we going to do to stop Alice's plan?" Rose asks Jasper.

"Nothing. We're going to let the mating occur the way she wants," Jasper informs everyone.

"What? Why? I thought the whole plan was to stop her?" Emmett protests, confused and upset.

Jasper frowns and replies, "We still need to know who the double agent is in Volterra. He or she clearly knows how to get around Aro's gift. We also need to know who is calling the shots. If we take out the lackeys but don't get the people in charge, this whole thing will just start over again, only next time we won't have any idea of the plan or who to watch. Remember, someone was already gathering people for this war before Alice even became a vampire. She and James are merely pawns, important ones, but pawns nonetheless. They are hoping to gain favor in the new regime, but there's no way of knowing if she knows everybody who is running the show or not and whether or not I'd be able to get the information away from her if she does."

"Okay, you've lost me, because I thought this confrontation tomorrow morning is what we've all been working toward for the past five weeks," Leah growls, frustrated.

Jasper shakes his head. "No, it's merely the trigger for what is to come. I need for them to believe their plan is working, to call in their troops and set their plan in motion. I would've taken Bella and run at that point if need be, knowing it would throw a wrench in their plans and possibly screw things up, making the leaders too cautious to show themselves. However, this way, I don't need to do that. I can finally fully claim and protect my mate, which is what I've wanted to do all along, and as an added benefit, Edward will also get to be with his mate."

"And by fully claim you mean . . . .," Jacob asks.

Jasper nods, confessing, "Yes, I intend to change her so she's not so vulnerable any more. I won't have to fear leaving her side or exposing us once I'm able to be open with everyone that she's mine."

"I hate to have to ask this," you offer hesitantly. "but what if Vicki is on their side? It wouldn't be good for Edward to find his mate only to lose her in the war shortly thereafter. If she stands against us, if we can't trust her, then she'll have to be killed though, right?"

"No! No! That can't be!" Edward wails. "I can't lose her, when I've only just found her! That's not fair, not right!"

Jasper calms him and questions, "Think back to her reaction in Alice's vision to finding out she had been deceived all these years by James. Will she side with them once she knows the truth?"

Edward whimpers but does as he asks and looks back at the vision. "She's absolutely furious - she hates him for lying to her and putting her through all that, though she doesn't say what that is. Alice cuts the vision off fairly quickly after Vicki turns on James, trying to rip him apart. Alice jumps in to protect him and the scene abruptly changes to her and James being subdued by our family on the way to see Aro. Vicki is standing with me scowling at them hatefully though, so I'm pretty sure she won't side with them."

You nod and comment, "Nobody wants to find out what they thought was a forever love relationship has been nothing but a lie so they could be used and abused for decades simply for the sake of their gift. James is a sadistic asshole who like to play games with humans and vampires alike to see how much physical and emotional pain he can cause. He's forced Victoria to go along with these games all these years while belittling, oppressing, and hurting her so he could control her. She's been convinced she has no choice but to stay with him and take whatever he gives, does, and says because she thinks he's her eternal soul mate.

She's a battered wife who's had no way out for decades, believing she deserves whatever happens to her, that it's her fate, her eternal destiny. So she's had to come to terms with it, had to try to find what joy and pleasure she could in her painful, loveless existence. It will take some time for her to learn to relax and trust you, Edward, just as it did for Esme when she found Carlisle after all the shit her human husband had put her through. Unfortunately for Victoria, her abuse occurred as a vampire, so she'll never be able to forget any of it. Hopefully your mind reading will help you avoid some of the triggers and land mines you'll encounter with her, and you'll be able to address her fears and insecurities immediately, knowing just what she does and doesn't need to hear you say. At least she'll be able to talk to Esme about her feelings too, knowing Esme understands the way only a woman who has lived through it can."

Edward nods his head sadly, thinking about Esme's initial time with Carlisle and her memories of her human husband and his treatment of her.

Jasper sends him a wave of understanding and support, causing Edward to give him a tremulous smile.

"Okay, so here's the plan for tomorrow," Jasper addresses the group, explaining everything he expects and how they should respond accordingly.

Leah promises not to move back to the reservation until tomorrow, not wanting to risk anything going wrong before the meeting.

_Only one more night of hiding, and then I can be with my Jasper in front of everyone_, you think to yourself.

**xxxxxxx**

You walk determinedly into the clearing between Jasper and Edward, resisting the urge to clasp onto Jasper, with Rose and Emmett leading the way, walking directly in front of you protectively. Alice smiles triumphantly, certain her plan is working flawlessly. Carlisle and Esme come over to greet you. Esme smiles beautifully, welcoming you with open arms, and you easily accept her hug.

"Hey, Momma C! It's so good to see you again!" you enthuse, noting the way Alice rolls her eyes and stares off into the woods. "Sorry I haven't made it over to your house to see you, but I've had a houseguest who really needed me. She was suffering from a genetic medical disorder, and I had to give her my full attention for the past few weeks."

"That's okay, honey, I completely understand," Esme gushes, oozing empathy and understanding. "I think it's wonderful you were able to be there for you when she needed you. Thank you so much for joining us here today."

"My pleasure," you tell her truthfully, a hint of a blush on your cheeks from the excitement of what's to come.

She smiles happily and gestures to Carlisle. "This is my husband, Carlisle."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Bella," Carlisle greets you, exuding charm and compassion. "I've heard many wonderful things about you from my wife and children."

You giggle and tease, "It's all lies. They're exaggerating."

He chuckles and squeezes your hand gently. "Somehow I doubt that, my dear. You've already brought so much joy to my family. I can't wait to get to know you myself as well."

"Aw, shucks, Doc," you continue teasing. "If you keep that up my head soon won't fit through doorways. Just imagine how bad it would be if my ego were the size of Emmett's."

He laughs and wraps his arm around Esme, squeezing her into his side.

"Hey!" Emmett pouts playfully.

You shrug and wink at him, causing him to grin.

Suddenly, the vampires become alert, their heads all pointing in the same direction Alice's has been for the past few minutes. A few moments later, James steps out of the woods, flanked by Victoria and Laurent. He pauses and addresses the group, "Ah, gold eyes. You must be the Cullens. I've been looking for you."

Carlisle steps forward and greets, "Yes, I am Carlisle Cullen and this is my family."

Before he can continue the introductions, James sniffs the air conspicuously and states, "You have a human with you? She smells delicious." He takes one step in your direction, and Jasper is immediately in front of you, growling ferociously. At the same time, Alice moves directly in front of James, crying, "No, you mustn't! She's with us!" As these are occurring, Edward takes a deliberate step toward Victoria, calling her attention and causing her to fix her roving eyes on him.

You watch as Victoria's eyes widen upon meeting Edward's and see her take a deep breath, causing her mouth to drop open in surprise. James and Alice are now smirking at each other, looking deeply into each other's eyes, and the next thing you know, Jasper has turned around and sunk his teeth into your neck.

You whimper and lean into him, clinging to him to hold yourself upright. He pulls back and licks the wound closed, purring and wrapping you in his embrace. "Mine!" he declares, purring loudly.

Edward takes that as his cue, opening his arms for Victoria and moving quickly toward her. She freezes, taking one step forward, then back, then forward again. He's on her in seconds, wrapping his arms around her and purring. She starts to relax and he quickly marks her. Her teeth sink into his neck at the same time his enter hers. She seems conflicted, as if she wants to attack, but can't bring herself to go further than biting. He pulls away, licking her wound closed, and then kisses the mark, murmuring, "Mine, my mate, my beautiful, precious, darling mate. I adore you! I will protect you and take care of you forever."

Vicki winces and pulls away, leaving his neck dripping venom and looks over to James with a frightened, haunted demeanor. She is shocked to see he has turned Alice around so her back was to his chest, holding her tightly against him with one arm and pulling her head to the side with the other hand fisted in her short, spiky hair. His teeth were buried in Alice's neck to the gums, and he was moving his mouth back and forth, tearing the wound deeper and wider. He was growling rather than purring and had her in a completely vulnerable position, not allowing her to mark him while he was marking her.

Alice is whimpering and purring at the same time, her feet dangling and kicking against James's shins, her hands pulling at his head trying to get him away from her neck.

"What are you doing? Let her go!" Carlisle demands, attempting to approach James, but kept away by a confused Laurent.

James lifts his head, finally removing his teeth from Alice's flesh and growls ferociously, "She's MINE! MY mate!" Instead of licking the wound closed, he spits his venom into it and holds it open to keep it from healing smoothly.

"James, please!" Alice whines and begs. In response, he growls and bites down again, tearing her neck further, pushing his venom into the wound with his tongue.

Upon hearing James's declaration, Carlisle and Esme swing around to face Jasper, their expressions horrified, but gasp in confusion upon seeing him nuzzling and embracing you. They then swing toward Edward, once again horrified, only to freeze in confused disbelief upon seeing Edward purring for Victoria.

"What the hell is going on here?" Emmett yells, playing his part with his eyes twinkling.

It's a testament to Esme's own feelings that she doesn't bother scolding him for his use of foul language. Instead, she simply nods her head in agreement, looking lost.

"I-I don't know," Alice sobs, sounding realistic due to the pain her mate is deliberately causing her. You know this isn't what Alice was expecting and wonder why Alice didn't see this part in her visions. Laurent shrugs and holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender, having no idea himself.

James reluctantly pulls his mouth away from Alice's neck so he can say his lines. "All of a sudden, I no longer felt a pull toward my mate Victoria and felt pulled to this little vampire instead."

Victoria practically collapsed in relief, sagging back against Edward, who happily wrapped her in his embrace again. She piped up in her high-pitched voice. "I don't know what happened, but I felt an overwhelming pull toward this vampire. Somehow I sensed he wouldn't hurt me, even when he came at me and bit me."

James cast her a disparaging look, and she quickly dropped her eyes, pushing herself even closer to Edward and wrapping her arms around his on her midsection.

"I felt the need to claim Bella as my mate to protect her from the danger these nomads represented and to keep her safe from all possible harm," Jasper drawls, trying to hide a smirk. "I could feel that Alice was drawn to the leader of their coven just as strongly as I was drawn to Bella, so I had no problem letting Alice go, knowing she wouldn't be hurt or betrayed by me choosing Bella. Not when she was choosing the nomad in the same way."

"But how is this possible? Mate bonds can't be broken," Carlisle protests, deeply disturbed by the turn of events. He pulls Esme behind him protectively.

"I came across the scent of Chelsea of the Volturi a little while ago on the way here," James announces, looking at Carlisle curiously, tilting his head slightly to the side, as if studying the Cullen patriarch. "I have heard about her gift of breaking bonds and reattaching them to others."

Carlisle swiftly shakes his head in denial, "No, she cannot affect the bonds between mates."

"She couldn't before, but gifts grow and expand with age," Alice points out, wincing and gripping her wounded neck with her hand. "Do you think it's possible she's gotten strong enough to do so now?"

Carlisle frowns heavily and shakes his head again, remarking, "No, it doesn't make sense. Even if she could, why would she? What purpose would it serve? She isn't the type to play around with people's lives for no reason."

"What if she had a reason?" James challenges. "I was coming to find your coven because Aro wants my gift and my ma - Vic's gift for the guard. He was unhappy that we refused to join him, and I overheard him telling some of his guard that he was tired of not getting what he wanted. He said he was going to come after those whose gifts he wants and make them part of his guard and not let anything stand in his way any longer, including his longstanding friendship with _you, _Carlisle Cullen. He said he would have the gifted members of your coven for his own no matter what he had to do to get them, even if it meant destroying you and the others in your coven. I came to warn you. It seems like he's finally gone off the deep end."

Carlisle gasps and protests, "No, he wouldn't do that to me!"

Alice fakes going into a vision trance, letting it play out the way she'd planned. All eyes are on her as she stares unseeingly, seeming lost in her vision. She hangs her head and sobs afterward, not saying anything.

"Well, what is it?" Carlisle prompts impatiently.

She lifts her head to stare at him with fake tears shining in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. I just saw Chelsea calling to report to Aro that she'd broken the mating bonds of all the gifted and bonded them with others, throwing us into chaos and confusion. She said we should be easy to take out now that we're all thrown together with new people, dividing us up and breaking our loyalties to one another."

Carlisle gasps, covering his mouth with his hand and looking to Edward, as if begging him to deny it.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle, it certainly appears that way from the vision I've seen in Alice's mind," Edward offers carefully.

"I don't understand," Carlisle murmurs sadly. Esme wraps her arms around him, trying to comfort him.

"Why would they try to hurt my family?" Esme whimpers, clinging to Carlisle.

"We can't let them destroy our family!" Alice declares after nobody else says anything. "We may be with new mates now, but we're still family, right? We can combine our covens instead of breaking apart like they were expecting us to do. We can use this to bring us closer together instead of allowing them to drive us apart!"

"Oh, yes, of course," Esme offers, smiling tremulously at the nomads. "You're welcome to join us, though you'll need to hunt animals or else hunt far away from this region. We have a treaty that doesn't permit hunting humans in this area."

James sneers, but holds his tongue.

"A treaty?" Laurent asks.

"The local tribe are shape shifters. They take the form of wolves to protect their people and are just as lethal to our kind as werewolves are," Carlisle warns. "We can coexist with them in peace because we do not hunt humans."

"A dangerous decision, Carlisle," James jibes, baring his teeth in an evil smile. "I don't think the Volturi, particularly Caius, would appreciate your choice of companions."

Alice pretends to go into another vision, then announces, "Oh, no, Carlisle! It looks like someone has informed the Volturi about the treaty, and they are going to use that against us!"

Carlisle stares at her in shock. "Who would've told? How could they have found out about that? Nobody other than our family knows."

"Well, the Denali know as do the Quileutes themselves. What if the new wolves came across a nomad and said something about it while trying to determine if the vampire was part of our family or not? If the vampire then escaped, it's highly likely he or she would've immediately gone to report the presence of werewolves in North America," Alice suggests.

Carlisle appears horrified. "Surely they would've told us if they encountered anyone . . . ."

James raises an eyebrow and accuses, "Why would they inform their mortal enemies about it? Why would they admit to failing to protect their tribe as they are supposedly designed to do, when it would expose their weaknesses to you? Have they met your whole family? Would they recognize your scents compared to another vampire's? If they did make a mistake, why would they come running to confess it to you? How would that benefit them? What purpose would it serve in their eyes?"

Carlisle frowns and shakes his head. "They are our friends and allies. We have a good relationship with them, don't we, Rose? I know I haven't met them myself, but I thought you were making good progress in befriending Leah?"

Rose nods and assures him, "Yes, they are our friends and allies. Leah would've told me if they encountered other vampires during their patrols."

James glares at Rose, looking angry. Jasper smoothly adds, "Though there are some members of the tribe who are strongly against vampires of any kind and resent the friendship that has arisen."

James nods and insinuates, "With the internet, a few careless words written by an angry old man could be spotted by those of our kind whose jobs are to troll through cyberspace watching for any mention of the real supernatural."

Carlisle's phone rings unexpectedly, startling the group. He apologizes and quickly answers. Whatever is said has him looking like he swallowed a cobra. He listens without speaking for a minute or two, then slowly lowers the phone back to his side. Esme starts sobbing into his chest.

"What happened?" you whisper to Jasper, knowing all the vampires had heard the conversation. You see Alice flash you a superior look, before Jasper has your full attention.

"Caius just called and said he'd received word that Carlisle had a treaty with werewolves. He called Carlisle a traitor and said his entire coven would soon be standing trial for treason," Jasper murmurs softly.

"Well, Carlisle, seeing as my coven is now irrevocably bound to yours due to Chelsea's shenanigans, we will gladly stand with you to help protect your family from the Volturi threat," James magnanimously offers, a sly sleazy smile on his face.

Shell-shocked, Carlisle thanks him graciously and leads the way back to the Cullen house, trying to absorb and understand how his life had changed so drastically in a matter of moments. He doesn't even seem to notice the way James commandeers the 'family meeting', presiding over the group and making the decisions about how to handle the situation. In fact, he doesn't even blink when James starts issuing orders to various family members, telling them to call everyone they know for help and promising to bring in all of his own friends and allies to assist.

Your heart aches for Carlisle and Esme, knowing how betrayed they feel, but knowing the feeling will only get worse when they realize the true depth of the betrayal they're facing. You bide your time, watching them carefully, waiting for the opportunity to tell them the truth.


	23. Preparing to Change

**AN:** For anyone wondering why Bella isn't changing from the claiming bite on her neck, Jasper didn't insert any venom in the wound, just like he marked her chest earlier in the story.

**Preparing to Change**

"I'm going to take my mate back to her father's house to gather the things she wants to bring with her into her new life," Jasper announces, leading you gently to the door.

"Yes, do that," James snidely gives 'permission'.

Jasper narrows his eyes, but chooses not to respond. Instead, he hurries you out the door and into his car. You watch him carefully, waiting until you are safe from being watched or overheard. After about five minutes, the tension flows out of his body, and you both heave a sigh of relief.

"Is it safe to talk now?" you verify. He smiles and nods, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

"How the hell did Caius know about the Quileutes?" you grumble.

Jasper gives you a half-smile and informs you, "The Volturi received an anonymous tip from a male vampire earlier this morning. They immediately called me to discuss it with me. Of course, I explained the truth about the shifters to them, so they know the Quileutes aren't Children of the Moon like the caller implied. Originally, the accusation Alice and James intended to levy against the Cullens was exposure of our kind to humans and aiding the humans in developing weapons to use in warfare against our kind. Apparently Alice decided the treaty would carry more weight and be more believable. Of course, the fact that we thwarted the scientific development she was funding at several of the compounds to create those types of weapons may have been a factor in her decision. After all, due to our interference, her labs have been unable to produce the weapons she ordered, and the only weapons the humans have developed on their own that are strong enough to hurt us are more dangerous to the human race than the vampire one. Once Alice found out about Sam and Leah, they became her plan B."

"So, Caius isn't really coming to try the Cullens for treason?" you confirm.

Jasper grins and shakes his head. "No, of course not, but that was the reaction James and Alice were seeking. They needed to draw the Volturi into a war against the Cullens. Remember, that's the whole purpose they've been working toward all these decades. Now they will begin to assemble the soldiers to fight against the Volturi. They needed Carlisle as the figurehead for their side to make the other covens willing to stand against our rulers. Everyone who knows Carlisle trusts him. They know he is caring and compassionate toward everyone, whether human or supernatural, and that he has absolutely no desire to rule the vampire world. Thus, they feel comfortable in supporting him, knowing he would never call on them without just cause."

"But we're not actually fighting the Volturi, right?"

Jasper smiles and agrees, "No, I was sent here to protect Carlisle from Alice's and James's machinations. Instead, we will join forces with the Volturi against those who have been working on arranging this coup."

You nod, then ask, "So what about James and Alice? How much longer do we need to allow them to think they are in control? I hate that Carlisle and Esme are hurting the way they are right now. How could Carlisle be so complacent and trusting of James and the changes?"

Jasper smiles slyly and squeezes your hand again. "Don't worry, darlin', Carlisle is aware that something isn't right. He sent me his emotions in the clearing, projecting his suspicion, concern, disbelief, and unease. I communicated back that he was correct, but to accept the situation as is for now. He knows I will inform him of the truth as soon as I can do so safely. So right now, he is behaving passively but observing everything sharply, gathering evidence and giving James and Alice enough rope to hang themselves."

"Thank goodness!" you exclaim. "I couldn't understand why he was letting James take over like that."

Jasper admits, "Alice slips whenever she gets complacent in believing she has everything safely under her control. Carlisle recognized Edward's careful wording of his 'confirmation' of her visions. His suspicion sharpened, followed by a shocked recognition and understanding as he realized Edward was confirming only that it was what Alice was showing him in her thoughts and not that the vision was real or true. Carlisle is a lot smarter than Alice thinks he is. She and James have greatly underestimated him, as many of our kind do, thinking the lack of bloodlust and unprecedented calm are indicative of weakness."

You smile in relief, happy to know everything is still under control.

"As for how much longer James and Alice will be allowed to maintain their delusions, I'm taking you somewhere safe for your change. Once you've completed your transformation and are no longer so vulnerable, we well confront those bastards together, along with our family. That will give them enough time to contact their leaders and set everything in motion, believing they have everything going according to plan. We have been undermining them all this time at every opportunity, but we will finally be able to eradicate the last of their allies and strategies once they reveal themselves."

You cheer excitedly, leaning over to give Jasper a quick kiss.

"Now gather all the things you want to bring with you into this new life," Jasper encourages, escorting you into Charlie's house. "We need to go ahead and store them now, just in case. I plan to initiate your change tonight."

"Okay," you agree, a bit nervous in anticipation of the impending pain. "But there's something I want Carlisle to do, either just before or shortly after you bite me."

"What is it? Is this about your hymen? Don't worry, I'll take care of breaking it and sealing the wound while you're changing," he offers with a smirk.

You blush and shake your head. "No, silly. It's actually a lot more complicated. I'd like him to remove one of my ovaries and freeze the eggs."

He stares at you as if you've lost your mind. "Why?!"

You sigh and ask, "Can I please just wait and explain it to both of you at the same time? I really don't want to go over this more than once."

He furrows his brow and continues to stare at you without commenting.

"Please?" you plead.

He huffs and agrees, taking out his phone to notify Carlisle.

"Don't tell him what I want, just that I want him to be there," you warn, not wanting to give Alice or James any ideas. "You can tell him about the actual procedure once you know he's not going to be overheard."

Jasper rolls his eyes at you, but doesn't comment.

Leah bursts into the bedroom and demands, "Okay, you're going to have to explain this to me too, girlie. I was running beside you in the woods on the way here and was following along with the conversation just fine up until this last bit. You aren't seriously thinking you're going to be raising a child or something do you? Because I love you, but I just don't think human children and vampires are a good mix on a 24/7 basis."

You give Leah a dirty look, but she doesn't back down.

"I mean, I know you aren't going to be selling them for the money, cuz even though you could get a lot for them, I know the Major is already loaded. You're not going to be donating them to science, and unless they're some kind of sick delicacy like vampire caviar, I'm drawing a blank."

"Shut up, Leah," you growl, shuddering. "That's disgusting."

"So is eating blood," she mutters.

"Oh, please, I know you guys sometimes hunt and eat in wolf form," you retort. "You're consuming blood then too, along with the raw meat, and it doesn't seem to hurt your digestion any."

Leah grimaces and groans, "Don't remind me. It really grosses out my human side, though it doesn't seem to bother the guys at all."

"Ha! So much for all the bloodsucker comments," Jasper laughs. "Wait until I tell the others."

"Do you _have_ to?" Leah whines. "Emmett'll have a field day."

Jasper takes the bag you've packed with the few items you've collected that hold sentimental value, mainly photographs, and escorts you back to the car, tucking the bag into the trunk.

**xxxxxxx**

Carlisle finally arrives at the house Jasper had taken you to for your change, bringing all the necessary medical equipment in a borrowed ambulance. You take the time to explain everything you know about hybrids, Nahuel, and Joham, worrying you might forget parts of it during your change. Both of the vampires and Leah are blown away, not realizing it was even possible. Once you've told them everything you can think of, they agree to preserve your eggs, just in case you and Jasper decide you want to have a child together later.

Looking into Jasper's eyes you confess, "I would've liked to have our first child growing inside of me and have developed a special bond with him or her in utero, but there's no time with this war on the horizon."

Jasper's eyes melt and he fills you with his love and adoration. "I would've liked that too, darlin', but I can't risk anything happening to you and the danger of keeping you human right is too high to even consider it. I promise I will love any child of ours just as much if he or she grows inside another vessel. The baby will still be _our _child, chosen by us to share our love, and that's all that matters."

"I love you, Jasper!" you exclaim joyfully, kissing him deeply.

He eagerly returns your kiss, murmuring words of love against your lips. "I love you too, Bella. You're my everything."

Carlisle quickly preps for surgery, while you two are declaring your devotion to one another. As soon as you're ready, he uses nitrous oxide to knock you unconscious, hoping it will help with some of the pain. You're rapidly sent into dreamland as you inhale the gas, hoping it will be more effective than the morphine was.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN**: Who's ready for James and Alice to finally get their comeuppance?


	24. Changing and Confrontations

**Changing and Confrontations**

You are woken from your dreaming by the feeling of being incinerated, going from no pain to intense pain worse than you could've imagined in an instant. Your brain is consumed with screaming. There are no words, no pictures, no coherency whatsoever, nothing more than one continuous deafening scream echoing in your mind from every brain cell in unison. There was no thought of death, of begging for death or even wishing for death. Your brain was too consumed with pain to process anything beyond the pain itself. Nothing else existed. There was no you, no world, no life, no meaning or understanding of anything but pain saturating every single nerve ending, every neuron, every aspect of your mind, body, and soul.

You have no idea how much time passes with your brain unable to function in the capacity for which it was designed. Time is a concept that is beyond you, like any other idea, knowledge, or understanding. Then something shifts and you begin to comprehend that you are in pain and that you wish for it to stop. After a period of time recognizing the concept of pain, you begin to understand the concept of self and realize you have a body, slowly grasping the knowledge that your body is the source of the unending pain assaulting your mind. Your mind begs to return to the darkness, to the time before the pain. Your thoughts finally begin to solidify into words, words which describe the pain, and you gradually begin to be able to think around the pain. The pain doesn't decrease, but you are able to acknowledge it and question it.

Slowly your memories begin to return, reminding you of what came before, what led up to the pain, what caused it. You cling to the idea that the pain will stop eventually, though you have no idea how much time has passed and how much more time needs to pass. The pain begins to recede from your extremities and intensify in your chest, and you recognize this with relief as the beginning of the end. You know you must be on the last day of the transformation, and you begin to concentrate on the sounds and smells in the room, recognizing the presence of your mate next to you.

You feel love surround you like a blanket and hear Jasper murmuring to you in a soothing voice. The pain continues to draw toward your chest, expanding in intensity around your heart, but you eagerly draw the love within yourself, filling in the empty spaces the pain has left behind. Slowly, as you concentrate your attention on your mate and his love, the words he's speaking begin to make sense. He's telling you about yourself and what's happening to you, reminding you of the people you love and the things you've all done together. He reminds you about the war and the reasons you and he had to hide your love for one another until now. He encourages you that the pain will soon be over, that the end result - eternity with him - is worth your current pain and suffering. He describes the changes he can see and exalts over how much stronger you'll be, able to defend yourself, while promising to protect you anyway.

The more love you draw into yourself, the more covers you, an endless supply saturating you and the air around you. It seems to help chase the pain, moving it toward your heart faster and faster as you stuff the love into every square inch vacated by the pain. You take the time to quickly remember your human life from the time before the accident, before you lost all your loved ones, before you became Bella Swan, not wanting to lose sight of who you really are inside. Then you go over the memories you've created as Bella, all the time spent with the Cullens, Charlie, and the wolves, etching the memories into your new, improved vampiric brain.

Soon the pain is only in your thundering heart, your mate's love filling every other space inside of you, soaking into every cell. You embrace the last of the pain, giving it its due, knowing the fight is nearly over - only seconds away from victory. Sure enough, your heart gives its last thud, releasing you from the pain at last, freeing you from your comatose state.

Your eyes open, and you blink, accepting the changes in your vision. Quickly, you turn your head, your eyes seeking your mate. He is kneeling beside your bed, and you recognize him immediately. There is no fear, only love and desire. "Jasper!" you breathe joyfully, reaching for him.

He grins with delight, accepting your hug and laughing when you accidentally tear off his shirt. You moan in appreciation, running your hands across his scarred flesh, loving the feel of him beneath your hands.

"Let's get you fed, and then I'll gladly finish our mating," he purrs, drawing you up out of the bed and over to the door.

Part of you wants to protest, but you do feel the burning in your throat and know Jasper will feel more comfortable once you've fed, so you follow him outside, running alongside him into the woods. Hunting and feeding come naturally to you, and as soon as you've both fed, you attack your mate with lustful hunger. Tearing off his pants, you straddle him, purring loudly. He quickly shreds your garments as well and lowers you gently onto his cock, giving you time to adjust to the sensation of him filling you. It only takes a few seconds, during which the intense pleasure boggles your mind, and then you seek even more pleasure by riding him. You test out different motions, movements, and paces, finding out what feels best, and he overloads your senses even more by playing with your breasts and nipples. As he tugs, twists, tastes, and teases, you quickly come to your first climax, instinctively bending down to bite the juncture of his shoulder and neck during your orgasm.

As the waves of pleasure begin to fade, you pull back, lovingly licking the wound closed. Jasper grins up at you and rolls you over so that he's on top. He then begins pounding into you at a ferocious pace that has you screaming in delight. Thus begins a fuckfest that lasts for over two days.

**xxxxxxx**

On the way back to Forks, Jasper fills you in on everything you missed while you were changing. He admits to paralyzing you from the neck down after you were unconscious. You had previously told him everything you knew about changing, including the description of 'someone' not feeling any of the burning in her legs until the venom healed the damage to her spine. He had hoped to save you from some portion of the burning by damaging your spine up high and only inserting the venom through your legs, giving it the most amount of time to work before it could repair the damage in your neck and spread into your brain.

You assume it must've worked to some extent, since you went from no pain to intense pain in the blink of an eye, instead of feeling the slow spread and buildup Bella had described. Unfortunately, you had no idea how much time had passed while in the pain haze before your mind could start to think again, so you didn't know how much it had helped. After describing the sensations to Jasper, he said he detected the flash from unconscious peace to mindless pain about halfway through the change, indicating his method had saved you about 36 hours of pain. You can't help but be grateful for both his thoughtfulness and the knowledge you would never have to go through it again.

Jasper also informs you that he had explained everything to Carlisle and Esme while you were changing, so they know exactly what to expect, at least as much as the rest of you do. They are thrilled that you, Jasper, and Edward are with your true mates now and don't have to pretend anymore.

Carlisle calls and updates the two of you on how things have been going at the house while you were gone, during both your change and your intimate time with Jasper. Apparently Edward and Victoria had also gone away some where to bond and had only returned the day before. James and Alice had not left for their intimacy, as James seemed to enjoy fucking Alice in front of an audience. He still hadn't allowed her to mark him yet, though he had marked her multiple times, giving her neck and shoulders nearly as many scars as Jasper had on his.

Carlisle's voice shakes with hatred as he talks about James. As angry as he is with Alice for her betrayal, he still hates for any woman to be treated that way. It seems James is not only domineering, but he enjoys causing his mate pain and humiliating her by having others witness it. James had brutally taken Alice multiple times, usually in front of others, seeming to delight in having an audience. He reports that Alice is confused by her mate's behavior toward her, at least according to Edward, as James seems to enjoy making split second decisions about it, so Alice never has visions of it beforehand.

Alice doesn't understand how her mate can enjoy hurting and humiliating her, but from the things Vicki has shared with Edward, James's behavior toward Alice is still much nicer than the treatment Vicki received at his hands. Edward explained to Carlisle that according to James's mind, he is punishing his mate for keeping them apart all this time, even though James willingly went along with and encouraged her plans, wanting to rule the vampire world and willing to do whatever it took to achieve that. James is also angry and resentful about Alice being intimate with Jasper while pretending to be his mate and is punishing her for that too, though he had no problem sleeping with other women and doesn't see anything wrong with that. Edward has chosen not to reveal James's motivations for his behavior to Alice herself, only confiding in Carlisle when Alice could not hear or see. Edward thinks it's only fitting for Alice to keep wondering if the brutality she is enduring from her mate will continue for eternity. He knows her pain will soon be over, since both of them will soon be executed for their crimes, but he feels she deserves to be contemplating a grim future rather than a bright one, considering the choices she made. After all, this is the same kind of future Victoria was forced to contemplate for decades while she believed she belonged to James.

Edward is horrified by all the suffering Vicki endured under James, as well as by many of the evil, disgusting things James made her do. He doesn't blame Victoria, because he can see from her memories that she really didn't have a choice. With James's tracking abilities, there was nowhere for Victoria to run or hide to escape from him. Edward's tender loving care has been working wonders on Vicki, going a long way in helping her heal from the eight decades of abuse. She now knows that James was lying to her and using her all this time and is eager for you and Jasper to return so everyone can confront the power hungry duo. She wants her pound of flesh and deserves the opportunity for revenge, having been betrayed worse than anybody else by the evil couple.

Peter and Charlotte are already on their way to Forks as well, and should arrive shortly after you do. Alice and James have been very busy calling each of the compounds and commanding the underground armies to meet them in the Olympic Peninsula. Carlisle has called all of his friends and allies, sending out the word amongst the covens, asking them for aid. You begin contemplating the best way to confront James and Alice, and pondering possible punishments for the perpetrators.

**xxxxxxx**

"Major!" a vampire calls out over the miasma of sound from the chattering crowd. You look up to see a well scarred, dangerous looking man barreling down upon you and your mate with an equally dangerous looking woman in tow.

"Peter! Char!" Jasper yells excitedly, moving forward to embrace the pair. They have a heartwarming reunion, complete with backslapping and mild insults between the two males. Jasper is much more gentlemanly when greeting the female, giving her a great big bear hug like he had Rose upon your return to the Cullen house. Knowing he loves her like a sister and that she's well and truly mated to Peter keeps you from attacking her in a fit of jealousy, though some portion of your brain considers doing it anyway, just so you can re-stake your claim on him.

"This lovely lady must be your better half," Peter charms, grinning widely and bowing before you, but politely keeping his distance. "Pleased to meet ya."

Jasper chuckles, stepping back to put his arm around you and proudly introduces you. "Yes, indeed, this is my Bella."

"Ain't ya only a couple days old, sugar?" Char asks, gaping at you in wonder. "How the hell are ya just standing there so calmly?"

You smirk as Jasper smugly replies, "Yep, my baby is somethin' special, aint she?"

"You can say that again," Peter agrees, his grin matching Jasper's as they exchange a sly look.

_I wonder if Peter knows about my shield, _you think. You'd told Jasper about it, but the two of you had agreed to keep it a secret for the time being. Since you had the description from Bella of what it felt like and how to use it, you had already started practicing with it.

Peter winks at you, and you realize he does know, but of course won't say anything about it.

"Time for the fireworks to begin," Peter murmurs cryptically, grinning smugly.

A dozen vampires approached the Cullen house, each carrying giant lumpy heavy duty trash bags slung over their shoulders like black Santa sacs. They nodded to Peter and Jasper in acknowledgement but didn't speak, coming to a stop side by side, forming a line across the lawn.

The small groups of vampires that had been standing around conversing and catching up with one another all freeze and turn to face the newcomers. James and Alice come out of the house, first triumphantly, then staring around with anger and confusion.

"What are you all doing together? Where are the others? Where's the troops?" James demands, stalking toward them, Alice on his heels, hands on her hips, teeth bared.

In unison the twelve newcomers grinned evilly and began dumping the contents of their bags out onto the grass. You get a good visual demonstration of the phrase 'heads will roll' as about a hundred vampire heads come pouring out of the bags, bouncing and rolling across the lawn, eyes rolling around wildly and teeth snapping uselessly.

"Maria," Jasper growls appreciatively, spitting on one of the heads that rolls close to him and giving it a kick, knocking it back into the pile.

"What the fuck have you done?!" James screams in horror, staring at the bodyless collection of all his allies, the troops he'd worked decades to create and train, the ones he'd counted on for his victory against the Volturi. Alice is frozen, desperately trying to search for the future, but the wolves are here now on the outskirts, hidden in the forest downwind, close enough to block her power from working at all.

"I'm blind!" she shrieks in terror, shaking and pulling at her hair.

"You've been betrayed by your superiors, left dangling unsupported to pay for their crimes," one of the twelve sneers. "They lost faith in your ability to bring them success and decided to start over again with someone else. Now the Volturi will slaughter you both for organizing a rebellion against them, and they will get away scot-free to try another better plan later."

"Fucking Romanians!" James roars ferociously, his beast on display. "I will tear them into a million pieces and burn them one tiny piece at a time, letting their ashes smolder for weeks . . ." The rest of his threats become unintelligible snarls and snaps.

Alice is still wailing about being blind, tugging on her hair and shaking her head, occasionally slapping the sides of her head as if that will knock things back into focus.

Jasper nods to Peter and the two of them quickly pounce, tearing off James's arms and legs before he even knows what happened, too distracted by the pile of severed heads and thoughts of revenge. Alice opens her eyes at the sound of ripping metal to get an eyeful of her mate's dismemberment. She crouches to spring to his defense, only to be stopped mid-air by Rose and Emmett detaching her own arms and legs. Both of them are reduced to torsos and heads, still able to talk and scream, but completely unable to defend themselves.

Jasper smirks down at a confused Alice and laughs. "It's been a long time coming. I always knew you were lying, bitch. I knew your plan before I even met you. I've been working against you as an undercover agent of the Volturi, protecting the Cullens from your malice, since shortly after you awoke to this existence. Aro has known what you were doing all along, watching you every step of the way."

Alice stares up at him in shock, her mouth opening and closing, but unable to come up with any words as she processes what he has to say.

"That's right," he sneers. "Your gift is worthless. We all know how to work around it and how to block it completely. You've been nothing more than a puppet, a pawn, thinking you were calling the shots, but really being controlled and led to your destruction by none other than the one man you thought you could deceive and tame into your personal servant." He laughs and spits in her face.

During his confrontation with her, the twelve who brought the heads have been circling amongst the groups bringing everyone else up to speed on the true nature of the situation. You look to Edward, who had been monitoring everyone's thoughts, looking for anyone who had prior knowledge of James's plan or the Romanians, once James had named them. He shook his head. All those currently in attendance, other than the twelve newcomers, were friends of Carlisle that he and his family had contacted and asked to come.

Coming over to you and Jasper he murmurs, "His only thoughts were of the Romanians, when his superiors were mentioned. His only other allies were those whose heads are now piled on the lawn."

Jasper nods and thanks him, then cheerfully adds the evil couple's heads to pile of traitors, laughing when the other heads try to bite theirs. Several gasps from the edge of the yard alert you and those around you, calling your attention to the sound of running feet. A wall of vampires moves to hide the carnage from the newcomers, not wanting to frighten them before explanations can be given if they are friends or alert them in time to flee if they are foes.

Two creepy looking vampires that can only be Stephen and Vladimir come gliding into the clearing. Carlisle's friends move out of their way, opening up a pathway to where Carlisle is standing, flanked by Jasper and Peter.

"Carlisle, we heard you are going up against the Volturi," Vladimir hisses.

"And we came to offer our assistance," Stephan continues.

"Welcome," Carlisle intones stoically, holding out his hand for them to shake. They move toward him eagerly, not noticing how the vampires around them slide into position behind them to cut off their escape route, leaving them surrounded.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** Well, what do you think? Anticlimactic? How many of you would want an outtake of this scene in Edward's POV to get a look into everyone's thoughts?


	25. Romanian Rubble

**Romanian Rubble**

"It's finally our time, brother," Vladimir murmurs gleefully, glancing to Stephen.

"I do believe you're right," Stephen agrees, rubbing his hands together.

As soon as they are within a few feet of Carlisle's outstretched hand, Jasper and Peter spring, each taking on one of the brothers. The fighting is vicious, as the Romanians have had centuries of practice fighting, but they are still no match for the Whitlocks. They are almost a blur, even to your enhanced vision, trading blows. The crown backs away, but stays in a circle, allowing the combatants room to fight but nowhere to go.

You have the utmost confidence in your Major, but part of your mind is still screaming at you to join in and help defend your mate. You glance over to Charlotte and notice the same look of confidence in her expression, but tension in her body. Your eyes quickly return to the fight and see Jasper has the upper hand - literally. Vladimir's arm goes flying into the crowd, which screams and fights over it, like single women grabbing for a tossed bridal bouquet. You see it broken into chunks by the tugging from various hands in multiple directions.

The look on Vlad's face amuses you, which makes you wonder how sadistic you've gotten as a vampire. Vlad has realized his end is nigh and is starting regret the confidence with which he strolled into your midst. Still, the asshole is trying to behead your mate and is one of the major reasons you had to hide your connection to the Major for so many weeks, so you are taking a bit of pleasure in his pain. It's only fair.

More body parts go flying into the frenzied crowd, from both Stephen and Vladimir, and it becomes apparent the Whitlocks are simply toying with the ancient vampires now. Now that your instincts know your mate is safe, you can relax and enjoy his feline grace as he attacks.

"It's obvious you've won," Vladimir grits out between clenched teeth.

"So just finish it," Stephen growls.

"We can no longer fight," Vlad admits, not having any arms and missing a foot as well.

"We are warriors, like you. Playing games with defenseless prisoners is beneath you," Stephen adds.

Jasper and Peter exchange a look and laugh.

Jasper shakes his head and accuses, "You've been playing games with people's lives for decades in your quest to regain power! You don't know us at all, or you'd know exactly what we're capable of doing to traitorous bastards that attempt to endanger our family, friends, and mates."

"The Volturi killed my mate and have left me to suffer without her for over 1600 years!" Stephen roars, snapping his teeth as venom spills out of his mouth and runs down his chin.

"The witch twins killed my mate 1200 years ago! I have been waiting to see those little demons burn for centuries!" Vlad screams, eyes wild and practically foaming at the mouth.

You have a sudden epiphany, guessing who the double agent is within the Volturi. Taking a step forward to catch Jasper's attention, you calmly address him. "End it, Major. They've gone mad from being forced to live without their mates for centuries on end, left with only the hope of revenge but never able to attain it."

The crowd quiets and stills, most wearing an expression of empathetic understanding. Jasper and Peter make quick work of removing the Romanians legs and heads from their torsos, setting the heads off to the side. The crowd tosses the rest of the chunks onto the writhing pile of limbs.

Jasper and Peter each get a call on their phones, causing them to come over to where you, Charlotte, Carlisle, Esme, Rose, Emmett, and Edward are standing while they talk in hushed whispers into their cell phones. Everyone in your group is watching the Whitlock men, knowing it's likely from the Volturi, letting the men know when to expect their arrival on the scene. You all hear a whoosh and smell the acrid scent of burning vampire.

"No!" Jasper and Peter scream angrily, racing back toward the roasting Romanians. Jasper tries to kick one of the heads out of the flames, but it disintegrates into chunks, already engulfed by the fire. "Fuck! Who did this?"

One of the nearby vampires cringes and tries to sink back into the crowd as all eyes focus on her. She has strawberry-blond hair and golden eyes. Tanya.

"Why? She was just finishing what you started," the blond girl next to her defends.

"They weren't the only ones leading this conspiracy," Jasper growled ferociously, his eyes black as coal. "Aro was planning to use his gift on them to find the rest of the traitors."

Tanya was visibly shaking with fear and whimpering, clinging to her sisters. "I'm so sorry, Jasper! I didn't know! Please! I thought you were planning to burn them and didn't want them fusing themselves back together while you were distracted with other things. I was trying to help! Honest!"

Jasper looks at Edward who nods his head grimly. He takes a deep breath, attempting to control his rage. "Aro will be here in two minutes, Tanya, so you'd better hope for your sake that your thoughts were pure, and you don't have anything to hide," he warns.

"That's why you kept their heads!" Carlisle quietly murmurs under his breath, realization striking him.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** I will work on the outtake after the story is over. Only a few more chapters left. Thanks!


	26. The Vultures Descend

**The Vultures Descend**

The Volturi arrive en masse, making a show of power to the assembled vampires. The covens gathered in the yard are tense. After all, many of them came to support Carlisle in what they had suspected to be a possible war with the Volturi, pitting themselves against the ruling vampires who were now there to search for any with traitorous thoughts.

"Excellent job capturing the Romanians and their evil minions, Major and Captain Whitlock!" Aro exclaims, clapping his hands as the Volturi come to a halt. He eyes the pile of heads eagerly.

Jasper steps forward, stands at attention, and reports, "My apologies, Master Aro. It seems that in her eagerness to help, Tanya Denali has mistakenly burned the Romanians heads."

"What?!" Aro gasps, becoming angry and agitated. "I was counting on reading their thoughts to know their entire plan! Step forward, Tanya Denali. I shall see your motivations for myself."

His glare is menacing, as is Caius's, as they watch her trembling form move carefully toward them. Marcus is staring morosely at the giant pile of angry, animated severed heads. Scanning over the Volturi in their black and grey cloaks, you notice a disfigured vampire being carried by a bulky, muscle bound one. Whispering softly with Charlotte, you get her to name each member of the Volturi for you.

Aro drops Tanya's hand and mutters disdainfully, "Indeed, you were truly only thinking of preventing the Romanians from causing any further damage, though you also wished to end their suffering once and for all. I suppose I must forgive you for destroying the enemies before their thoughts and plans could be processed and analyzed, though I'll admit it would be easier to do if I still discover the things I need from one of the others. Perhaps Alice holds the answers I am seeking."

Aro glides over to the pile and Alec begins handing him heads one at a time. When he finishes reading their memories, he hands them off to Jane, who promptly tosses them in the fire. You notice the grimaces and distaste on his face when he is reading Maria. Leaving him to his task, you observe the Volturi, noticing the way the Guard is carefully watching the crowd. You see that Felix has set Max down on the ground, leaving the crippled vampire sitting uncomfortably in the grass.

Going over to talk to him, you join him on the ground. "Why aren't you wearing a cloak like the others?"

Max looks at you with resentment in his eyes and snorts. "Aro doesn't think it would be dignified for someone in my condition to wear a cloak identifying me as a Guard member. He thinks it would make the Guard appear weak."

"I see," you murmur, exchanging a look that spoke volumes with him. "You know, it may be a long shot, but we haven't burned James's limbs yet. Once his head is gone, it won't be calling to the missing limbs any longer. Do you think that if you drained the venom from his legs and hands and reopened the wounds on your body that you could fuse with them and make them your own? I know it would hurt like hell and would likely scar badly, but if his venom was gone and only yours remained, would your body and the donor limbs be able to work together, or would your venom destroy them beyond function?"

He is staring at you wide eyed, filled with hope and apprehension. "I know that our venom scars other vampires because of the reaction to the foreign venom, and I know others have tried to replace lost limbs, but I don't know if anyone thought to drain out the foreign venom first."

Contemplating it, you catch Carlisle's eye and gesture for him to join you. He does, sitting down on the ground like you did to make Max more comfortable. Upon hearing your question, he frowns and sadly admits, "I have tried it, and it still doesn't work. Every cell of a vampire's body carries the genetic information of its owner and is capable of producing venom. The foreign venom cannot communicate with the cells and slowly destroys them instead."

Max drops his head, appearing dejected. Biting your lip in disappointment, you move on to your next theory. "What about using human limbs then, and allowing the vampire's venom to change the cells and attach to the new body parts?"

Carlisle gives you a tight smile and shakes his head. "I'm sorry my dear, it's a great thought, but I've tried that also. The human limb cannot survive the change without the proper circulation and dies before the change can repair and attach it."

Furrowing your brows, you try again. "Have you tried keeping the human limb frozen, like they do for organs they are transporting for transplant? If you keep it on ice during the entire time to preserve the tissues long enough for the venom to take effect, does that make a difference? After all, the vampire won't mind the cold."

Carlisle stares at you in shock, a new light entering his eyes. "I never considered that option. We have found that severed fingers and toes can be kept 'alive' on ice for a surprising amount of time and still be successfully reattached to humans. The extreme cold has amazing preservation effects on live tissue."

Max gasps, lifting his head to stare hopefully at Carlisle.

Carlisle frowns and cautions, "It would likely be extremely painful. The attachment sight would need to be reinsured to stimulate the healing aspect of the vampire's body. Then, once the nerve endings successfully reattach, if they do, the vampire would not only have the normal pain of reattachment, but would also feel the pain of the change as it occurs in the new limb. Then, if it does work, there is no way of knowing how well the vampire's body would be able to accept the new flesh. It would still have different genetic material since it came from a different person, thus could still end up being rejected."

"Stem cell research and cloning?" you ask. "Aren't the humans using stem cells to grow body parts inside of pigs in hopes of creating organs that won't be rejected by the humans who need them?"

Carlisle grins at you. "I don't think you have a good grasp on that research, dear girl, but I do understand what you mean."

"So what if you took genetic material from the vampire's sperm cells and put it in the stem cells, then grew them into new limbs before changing them? Would that be a close enough match? Or what if you used that genetic material and introduced a virus specifically designed to replace DNA in cells into the donor limb prior to the change?" you suggest.

Carlisle nods thoughtfully. "You certainly have some interesting ideas. It's true that there have been great strides in human medical research since the last time I attempted to help someone replace lost limbs. I had come away from my studies believing it to be impossible, but you've opened my eyes to more possibilities. I am willing to pursue them if you're interested, Max, though I can't make any guarantee of success."

Max looks between you two and smiles grimly. "I am willing to try. It would be better than living like this."

"In the meantime, why don't you wear prosthetics?" you question. "I know human grade prosthetics wouldn't cut it for you, but what about custom vampire ones? Like ones made of metal instead of plastic? The weight wouldn't bother you and they'd be more durable."

Carlisle nods approvingly, and Max stares at you in wonder. "Why hasn't anybody else thought of that? I did try wooden limbs many years ago, but they were too flimsy for the type of wear and tear a vampire puts on his body."

"I'm sure my family could help you with something like that," Carlisle offers. "I can obtain human prototypes. My son Emmett is a whiz with technology, and my daughter Rose is an amazing metal worker. She crafts custom components for our vehicles, so she should be able to create the pieces you'd need, while Emmett could work on robotic hands. They would likely have a working solution relatively quickly whereas the medical option may take years to solve."

"Thank you, Carlisle!" Max enthuses gratefully. "It would mean the world to me to regain a measure of my independence."

"Of course, Max, our pleasure," Carlisle replies graciously.

All three of your heads snap in Aro's direction as he lets out a roar of frustration, just in time to see him toss Alice's head into the flames himself. Hers was the last of the heads littering the lawn, and apparently Aro did not get the information he wanted.


	27. Vengeance and Death

**Vengeance and Death**

Your eyes fly over the group, scanning the faces and you make eye contact with Marcus. You see he has been listening in on your conversation with Max, and he acknowledges you with a slight nod, before glancing away, his face as impassive as ever. You continue scanning and see Caius glaring at everyone, his hands fisted and his eyes full of rage.

"Carlisle!" Aro calls, searching the crowd. Carlisle quickly springs to his feet and approaches the leader smoothly.

"Yes, my dear friend?" he calmly inquires, a smile on his face. "It is a pleasure to see you again, despite the circumstances of our meeting."

While Aro is distracted with Carlisle, you make eye contact with the Volturi double agent and mouth the name, "Chelsea?"

His eyes widen and he stares into your eyes for a few seconds before nodding ever so slightly. You return the nod and move away, circling the crowd over to where Chelsea is hiding in the shadows, watching the proceedings with a smug maliciousness. You wonder why Aro never questioned Chelsea's loyalty. _What hold does he have over her to make all vampires loyal to him instead of herself? Why does she not make everyone loyal to herself including Aro? What game is she playing? _you wonder.

You sneak up behind her, and she whirls around at the last minute to face you. You feel the stabbing against your shield as she attempts to control your bonds, but of course her power doesn't work on you. You don't pause in your attack, seeing the shock and terror in her eyes as you rip her head clean off her body, tossing it as far away from you into the forest as possible, knowing the wolves will gladly take care of it for you. All eyes immediately shoot in your direction at the sound of ripping metal, and there are gasps and exclamations from all directions. The most prominent is Aro's scream of "Noooo!"

Jasper is staring at you in shock, having no idea of your plan or reasoning. Peter's eyes are wide and somewhat glazed, no doubt his gift kicking in and providing information. Max is gazing at you with approval. All around you people are shaking their heads and looking at the people around them in a new light.

Renata is the first to react, jumping away from Aro as if she'd been burned. Aro grabs for her, but is turned away by her gift, unable to get hold of her. He panics, realizing he has lost not only his shield, but any amongst his guard who have been loyal to him only due to Chelsea's influence. Marcus's countenance is animated for the first time in centuries and he dashes forward to challenge his brother, slapping him across the face.

Everyone stares on in shock as Marcus growls, "I hereby accuse you of murdering my mate Didyme, your own flesh and blood sister, in cold blood. The law demands your life as forfeit for your crime! You will now fight me to the death, just you and me, without assistance from anyone."

Aro whimpers and shakes his head in denial, "No, how did you . . . . No, it wasn't me! You have it all wrong!"

"Lie!" Maggie of the Irish Coven yells. "He's lying!"

The crowd gasps and murmurs angrily, glaring hatefully at Aro. The majority of the guard glares at him hatefully as well, turning against the few who remain loyal to him, insuring they will not assist him.

Marcus tears off his cloak and necklace bearing the crest of the Volturi, throwing them on the ground in disgust. "There was a nomad who came to Volterra nearly two centuries ago who had the gift of seeing the past. She showed me what really happened to my mate. Max had showed Caius and me how to work around your gift and hide certain things to keep the balance of power equal between the three kings. I sent that nomad away, warning her to hide and never let you find her, telling her how to avoid your gift just in case you did.

Unfortunately, there was no way for me to work around Chelsea's gift, which kept me from being able to attack you or leave you, not even allowing me to end my own existence. Her only weakness was that she could not create false bonds to herself, only between others. She had to rely on you to keep her safe and provide for her every whim, which you gladly did in return for her services.

She wasn't expecting to encounter a mental shield though, someone who would be unaffected by her gift who would know what she could do and realize the danger she represented. Thanks to Major Whitlock's new mate cancelling those bonds, we are all free to make our own choices, our loyalties are our own again, and you will now face justice for the crimes you've committed while believing yourself invincible and above the law."

Marcus suddenly freezes, staring blankly, and you realize Alec is using his power on not only Marcus, but all the Guard members who were trying to prevent anyone from going to Aro's defense. You quickly throw your shield around all of them, pushing Alec's mist away from them. Marcus recovers just in time to see Aro springing toward him, believing him to be defenseless, and dodges at the last moment. The two ancients begin fiercely trading blows. Meanwhile, Felix and Demetri rip off Alec's and Jane's heads for attempting to interfere in the battle between the kings.

Afton comes after you for killing his mate, but Jasper easily defeats him. Caius is watching the battle between Aro and Marcus, appearing kind of lost, and is greatly upset upon seeing his Guard members killing each other. He tries to protest, but his words fall on deaf ears. The crowd is roaring, but is staying out of the fighting, for the most part. Santiago and Heidi, the only other ones still loyal to Aro, other than Sulpicia, are taken out by the others.

As the battle between Aro and Marcus continues to rage, and Alec, Jane, Chelsea, Santiago, Afton, and Heidi are turned to ash, Corin runs away, and several of the former Guard members who'd had their covens destroyed and then been bonded to the Volturi by Chelsea turn on Caius. Without the vampire who has kept the wives content with her gift, centuries of repressed rage at being kept prisoner in the towers of Volterra by their overprotective mates is set free, and the wives begin to go on a rampage, attacking at random anyone who'd been a source of irritation for any reason over the previous millennia.

Marcus finally succeeds in taking off Aro's head and whips out one of the little silver guns Caius had invented, rendering him ash in milliseconds. Before anyone can stop him, he then turns the gun on himself, the injuries he'd received from Aro instantly catching flame and incinerating him. Sulpicia goes completely berserk at the loss of her mate. Tanya, Amun, and Kebi don't dodge her fast enough and get shredded and burned as victims of collateral damage. Irina and Kate are quick to avenge their sister, destroying the insane, grief-stricken queen.

Caius takes out quite a few of the former Guard members, fighting for his life, until he gets distracted by his mate. Athenadora looks almost comical fighting against Felix, her tiny frail body against his hulking form. Her mental instability makes her completely unpredictable though, and she fights dirty, going for his gonads. She disables him by castrating him, screaming obscenities about never going anywhere, seeing or doing anything for nearly two thousand years. Demetri rushes to his aid, but is too slow. Athenadora crams one of those guns in Felix's wounded crotch and fires, making every male in the vicinity whimper and cover themselves.

That distraction is Caius's downfall, as a female former Guard member takes advantage of his grimacing and guarding of his family jewels to rip off his head and toss it into a nearby fire. Athenadora screams and becomes a whirling dervish of teeth and claws. Demetri tackles her to the ground, quickly separating her head from her body. He pulls back and sits up, holding up her dripping head triumphantly, but her twitching hand pulls the trigger on the gun she's still holding, frying them both instantly.

It's finally over. All three kings, both queens, and two thirds of the Guard are gone. The Romanians, James and Alice, Maria, the other Southern War Leaders, and all of James's allies are dust in the wind. Even Amun, Kebi, and Tanya are toast. All that remain are Carlisle's friends and family.

Carlisle, his arm around his mate, calmly surveys the mess and burn marks covering his yard and the shell-shocked people dusting ashes off their clothes.

"So, uh, what now, Dad?" Emmett asks, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning sheepishly.


	28. Debriefing

**Debriefing**

"Time to relax and debrief," Carlisle replies. "Please, join me inside, my friends and let's talk about the events that have transpired here today."

The crowd agrees and slowly begin making their way inside the Cullen's home. Peter goes over to Max and offers, "Hey, buddy, you look like you could use a hand."

Char gasps and smacks him on the back of the head and immediately apologizes to Max.

Peter scowls at her and says, "I was just offering to help him inside!"

"And the fact he's missing a hand never occurred to you?" she accuses, hands on her hips.

Peter raises an eyebrow and smirks, drawling, "Geez, Char, it's not like I was gonna ask him to be my right-hand man. I was just offering to carry him to the house."

Char gasps and hits him upside the head again, cursing him for being an insensitive bastard. Max rolls his eyes, gets up on his leg stumps and begins stiffly walking toward the house by himself. You stroll beside him, matching his slow pace.

"Does that hurt?" you ask curiously.

He shakes his head. "No, not anymore. It did initially, but once the areas healed completely, they were strong enough to bear weight."

"Do you prefer to walk on your own like this, or would you rather be carried?" you inquire politely.

"For everyday things, I generally get around on my own. I like having my independence and doing as much for myself as I can. Most vampires can't stand to move at such a slow pace though, so when I'm with others, I usually allow someone to carry me," he admits. Then he smiles and winks up at you. "I never mind being in a charming, beautiful woman's arms though."

You laugh and pick him up, carrying him the rest of the way inside. "I'm mated with Jasper Whitlock," you warn.

He smiles and nods, declaring, "He's a good man. That's a good union."

You set him down in a chair then join Jasper, sitting in your mate's lap. As soon as everyone is in the room and settled, the questions start flying. Most people want answers from Edward and Jasper, including insights from their gifts, to gain a better understanding of just what the hell has happened. Edward agrees to describe the day's events from his point of view.

**EPOV**

I was carefully monitoring James and Alice, as I knew from Jasper that the vampires the duo had been counting on to fuel their army were due to arrive any minute. Sure enough I soon caught the buzz of new voices on the edges of my consciousness.

_I can't wait to see the look on that bastard's face when he sees what we've done to his precious troops._

_I hope we don't really have to fight the Volturi. I mean Peter promised we wouldn't, but what if he was wrong? What if we killed off all these guys and still have to fight?_

_I'm so glad this shit is finally almost over. I'll finally be able to travel a little and start looking for my mate. Hm, there's going to be a lot of vampires here. What if she's here? Wouldn't that be awesome?!_

Suddenly the rest of the thoughts were drowned out by a cacophony of mental yelling consisting almost entirely of _PAIN HATE KILL DIE _over and over again, crossing over each other, overlapping, drowning each other out, as well as everything else in the vicinity

I made a conscious effort to block everything from that direction, focusing only on those closest to me.

_Ah, the first of my troops are arriving! _James thought smugly. _I'll finally be able to show these pussies some real discipline._

_Why can't I see anything? The far future is still looking good, so everything must work out okay, but I hate not knowing what's going to happen next. I can't wait until those stupid dogs are eliminated_, Alice mentally whined.

_Ah, right on time. Excellent work_, the Major thought proudly.

_Heads are gonna roll_, Peter thought gleefully. He pictured severed heads tumbling out of a large bag. "Time for the fireworks to begin," he murmured to Bella.

I caught a glimpse of the newcomers through the eyes of the wolf pack as they approached the Cullen house through the woods. Seeing them carrying large black bags over their shoulders like the one in Peter's head, I realized in horror that the bags were actually full of severed heads - the reason for the tumult of chaotic mental screams that had nearly overwhelmed me. I carefully kept my gift pointed away from that direction, not wanting to be subjected to it again.

In learning to develop and control my gift better, I'd learned to think about it like a satellite dish, which I could focus on a particular area or target to better receive their mental signals. I could broaden or narrow the focus, as well as increase or decrease the reception range and distance. Thus, I was able to keep my focus on those I wanted and needed to hear while blocking those I didn't. If I had encountered this situation six weeks previously, I would've been useless, unable to drown out the mental screams of who knows how many dismembered vampires. I couldn't help but be thankful to Jasper for helping me learn to expand and control my gift over the past month or so.

Most of those waiting outside were confused by the entrance of the newcomers, wondering who they were and what they were carrying, but my mate trembled against my side upon seeing the first of the newcomers break through the trees. _Jonah! He's with a fierce bunch of troops, Edward. James had them trained in the cruelest of ways,_ she whimpered in her thoughts._ Are you sure we shouldn't run now while everyone's distracted?_

I hugged her close and kissed her forehead gently. "Don't worry, Vicki. Jasper has everything under control, I promise. Besides, I think what's left of his troops is in the bag he's carrying on his back," I whispered into her ear, careful to make sure only she could hear me.

Vicki's jaw dropped as she looked at the bag in question. It was twitching and bulging in places. She named off each of the twelve new vampires in her mind as they came to a stop in the yard, relaxing more and more as she saw the bags they carried and realized they were otherwise unaccompanied. A gleam entered her eye and she turned expectantly toward the front door, waiting for James and Alice to exit, thinking, _I can't wait to see his face when he realizes the sadistic, fearless army he's worked so hard on developing for the past eighty years is entirely nonexistent! All his favorite little toys and pets are gone too!_

She didn't have to wait long.

James and Alice come out of the house, first triumphantly, then staring around with anger and confusion.

"What are you all doing together? Where are the others? Where's the troops?" James demands, stalking toward them. _Where are my commanders? Why are these guys all together? Where's the rest of my army? What's going on here? _Memories of fierce commanders and vicious troops, along with multiple gifted vampires, go flashing through his mind, matching the ones I'd seen in Vicki's thoughts.

Alice follows him, hands on her hips, teeth bared. _This isn't right! These guys shouldn't even know each other! Why are they traveling together? Why didn't I see this?_

In unison the twelve newcomers dumped the contents of their bags onto the grass. 132 vampire heads came pouring out of the bags, their names registering in James's and Alice's thoughts, as well as Vicki's, Laurent's, Peter's and Char's as their faces were displayed. Most of the faces weren't recognized by any of the other vampires in attendance, though there were a few known to Jasper, one in particular.

"Maria," Jasper growled, spitting on his sire and kicking her back into the pile.

I listened carefully to the crowd, searching for anyone who seemed to have more knowledge than they should, anyone who was in league with James and Alice, but none of Carlisle's friends appeared to have a clue about what was happening or why.

"What the fuck have you done?!" James screamed. _My troops! My gifted! How the fuck are we supposed to take down the Volturi now? I worked for decades picking out the right men for the job, creating the perfect loyal monsters to obey me without question no matter how bloodthirsty or sadistic the task! Now I have to start all over again! Stupid, useless mate! Why didn't she see this? Or did she? Did she betray me? I'll kill her! She'll wish she was dead!_

"I'm blind!" Alice shrieked in terror. _Why can't I see anything? It's all black! Nothingness! It's all gone! Our entire futures! Everyone's future! I can't see anything at all for anyone! Is it the end of the world? Is it Armageddon?_

"You've been betrayed by your superiors, left dangling unsupported to pay for their crimes," one of the twelve sneered. "They lost faith in your ability to bring them success and decided to start over again with someone else. Now the Volturi will slaughter you both for organizing a rebellion against them, and they will get away scot-free to try another better plan later."

"Fucking Romanians!" James roared ferociously. "I will tear them into a million pieces and burn them one tiny piece at a time, letting their ashes smolder for weeks . . ." _How dare they betray me? Sure, I was planning to kill them as soon as we ended the Volturi, but how dare they double cross me first? Fucking assholes! Why didn't Alice see this? I'm going to tear her into tiny little pieces and fuse her back together like a jigsaw puzzle, just to tear her apart again! Fucking bitch!_

Alice was still wailing about being blind. _Everybody in the whole world is going to die, here, now, today! Nobody at all has a future! Not vampires, not humans, nobody! It's all over for everyone! The entire Earth is about to become extinct!_

_Good grief, she's so melodramatic. She can't see because the wolves are nearby, so her gift doesn't work. But, of course, that doesn't even occur to her_, I think to myself, rolling my eyes. _Thank goodness I grew up when I did. I'd hate to think of myself as having that kind of a meltdown if I suddenly stopped being able to hear everybody's thoughts._

Jasper nodded to Peter and the two of them quickly tore off James's arms and legs before he even knew what happened.

Alice saw her mate being dismembered and instinctively attempted to spring to his defense. _No, not him!_

_Oh, hell no, you little bitch! _Rose thought disparagingly, leaping to intercept.

_This is for my family_, Emmett thought grimly, aiding his mate in detaching Alice's limbs.

Carlisle moved to shield Esme from having to watch the dismemberment of the girl she'd considered her daughter for over half a century at the hands of her other children. His thoughts were deep and full of pain. _Such a waste of life. How many vampires and humans are now dead because of these two and their thirst for power? How many people did they turn to become soldiers in their war and torture under the guise of training them for battle, only to turn around and kill them upon deciding they were unworthy to serve in their army? How many innocent humans were murdered to sustain the lives of vampires who were then destroyed anyway? Why did Aro have to wait so long to intervene? Why didn't he stop the plan early? Surely Alice knew who was in charge of the operations? James could have led Aro to the Romanians and they could've led him to whomever the double agent was within the Volturi. Why did so many have to suffer and die before he took action?_

I checked on Esme. _I can't believe that little slut was pretending to be Jasper's mate all this time while she knew her own mate was using and mistreating Edward's mate. Edward and Vicki could've been happy together all these years if it wasn't for her! Why would she have James claim Vicki instead of allowing Edward to have her? I can't believe she used us and set us up to die after everything we've done for her! I loved her, treated her like my own daughter! Carlisle did too! And this is how she repays us! She doesn't deserve to be part of our family, doesn't deserve our protection, our money, our affection. She's not one of us, never really has been. It was all a lie. _She silently grieves, tucking her head into Carlisle's chest, caught between feelings of hate and betrayal at knowing the truth and memories of various happy times over the years. For every happy memory she has though, she relives a dozen more in which Alice's manipulations of the family are now obvious.

Many in the crowd are both impressed and frightened, confused by what is happening, particularly to Alice. They wonder why Carlisle is allowing the destruction of his daughter without a hint of protest or even concern. Some are starting to question if they've misjudged Carlisle, if he's not as compassionate as they once believed.

"Start circulating and tell the others the truth about Alice and what is happening now," I tell my mate, naming the vampires she needs to start with to keep them from either running away or turning against us before this is over. She nods and quickly moves to the Egyptian coven to tell them her story.

Char catches on quickly to what's happening and hurries over to me, asking who else needs to know the truth as soon as possible. I send her off to talk to the Amazonian coven. She signals to the newcomers, who quickly disperse amongst the crowd, telling them of James's and Alice's history of misdeeds and their betrayal of not only the Cullen family, but of the entire vampire world in orchestrating a massive war in hopes of wiping out all the opposition and taking over themselves. Word spreads rapidly, and everyone is reassured of Carlisle's integrity. Any and all fears of him or his moral position are allayed.

Meanwhile, Jasper smirks down at a confused Alice and laughs. "It's been a long time coming. I always knew you were lying, bitch. I knew your plan before I even met you. I've been working against you as an undercover agent of the Volturi, protecting the Cullens from your malice, since shortly after you awoke to this existence. Aro has known what you were doing all along, watching you every step of the way."

Alice stares up at him in shock, her mouth opening and closing, but unable to come up with any words as she processes what he has to say. Her thoughts, however, are running a mile a minute. _What? How is this possible? I mean, I knew it was possible, but those futures never seemed likely. He had to decide to act against me, didn't he? How did I miss it? Why didn't I see it? Why was that blurry and the future I wanted so clear? _

"That's right," he sneers. "Your gift is worthless. We all know how to work around it and how to block it completely. You've been nothing more than a puppet, a pawn, thinking you were calling the shots, but really being controlled and led to your destruction by none other than the one man you thought you could deceive and tame into your personal servant." He laughs and spits in her face.

_Noooo! This isn't fair! It's not right! How dare they? How dare they block me? How did they get the upper hand? How did they defeat me? Now that I have my mate, I am unstoppable! I am all seeing, all powerful! These fools are my servants, my slaves, my playthings! They are here to amuse and entertain me, to jump to my bidding and blindly follow my every command! Alice knows best! Alice knows best! They'll be sorry! I'll make them sorry! When I rule the world …._

As the venom continued to leak out of James and Alice, their thoughts became less and less coherent.

I saw Bella looking at me, wondering if anyone else in attendance was in league with James. I shook my head. Approaching her and Jasper, I let them know, "His only thoughts were of the Romanians, when his superiors were mentioned. His only other allies were those whose heads are now piled on the lawn."

"And Alice?' Jasper asked, raising an eyebrow. I noticed I could no longer hear his thoughts and wondered if it had something to do with Bella.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Alice's only thoughts were of herself."

"So what else is new?" he muttered with a shrug.


	29. More Debriefing

**More Debriefing**

**EPOV** (cont)

Stephen and Vladimir entered the clearing, their thoughts carefully guarded. _Ah, they know about my gift_, I realized. The crowd, on the other hand, was full of disparaging thoughts.

_Ugh, not these two._

_Gross. It's the Dracula Twins._

_I hate these guys. Why can't they just give up? They're never going to defeat the Volturi. You'd think they'd have figured that out by now._

_Ooh, these guys are in trouble now. I can't wait to see what the Whitlocks do to them._

_I don't think Aro is going to let them live after this little fiasco._

Everyone moved out of their way, opening up a pathway to Carlisle, Jasper, and Peter.

"Carlisle, we heard you are going up against the Volturi," Vladimir hissed. Yes, this is perfect.

"And we came to offer our assistance," Stephan continued. We will succeed this time.

"Welcome," Carlisle intones stoically, though his thoughts are anything but welcoming. _They are the reason we've harbored a traitor in our midst for over half a century. The cause for my mate's pain at being betrayed and in losing someone she loved and cared for as her own child. All in an attempt to regain the thrones they lost nearly two thousand years ago. I hate what they've done to my family, bringing death and destruction to my doorstep, taking advantage of my compassionate nature and my friendship with others of our kind._

_Wow, I never thought I'd feel hatred coming from Carlisle_, Jasper thought. _I guess I understand though, considering that all of this is essentially their fault. Without them masterminding this war, Alice wouldn't have come up with her plan to use him and his allies. He and his mate wouldn't have been betrayed and then forced to deal with the traitor. He needs someone to blame for his pain._

_This is finally going to be over, and we can get on with our forever doing something other than constantly checking over our shoulders and going around killing evil vampires. The missus and I can finally take a nice vacation and fuck each other senseless for a few decades without worrying about anything else_, Peter thought, mulling over vacation destinations as he watched the Romanians approach.

As the Dracula Twins moved forward, the crowd slid into position behind them, surrounding them.

_These bastards aren't getting away._

_This stupid feud is ending today. We're not doing this yet again in another hundred years._

_These cowards are going to stay and face the music. They dragged us all into a war we had no intention of fighting for their own purposes. We're not going to let them get away with it._

"It's finally our time, brother," Vladimir murmured. _It's been a long time coming._

"I do believe you're right," Stephen agreed. _Finally, we will triumph. So many wasted years . . . _

Now! Jasper and Peter thought in unison, attacking in perfect harmony. It was beautiful, like a symphony. The four fighting were working on instinct and muscle memory, exchanging blows fluidly, without conscious thought. Every now and then a word or two slipped through, a direction such as left or right, or the recognition of an opening or a weakness.

I kept part of my mind scanning the crowd, looking for anyone to slip, to root for the Romanians or express fear for one or both of them. Everyone was counting on the Whitlocks to win though. Nobody hoped for or expected the Romanians to survive.

In fact, the crowd was frenzied, eager for destruction, angry for the betrayal the Dracula Twins had perpetrated on them and particularly the Cullens. When body parts began flying, they barely stopped to ensure it was from one of the Romanians before all fighting to get a piece of the action, literally ripping off chunks by the handful.

_Enough! _Vladimir mentally screams. _I can't take it anymore! _"It's obvious you've won."

_Too much pain! Death will be a sweet release_, Stephen internally whimpered. "So just finish it."

"We can no longer fight," Vlad admitted. _Amazing warriors. If only they were on our side instead of against us. Where did we go wrong?_

"We are warriors, like you. Playing games with defenseless prisoners is beneath you," Stephen adds. _I hope. Please, just end us quickly. Put us out of our misery._

Jasper accused, "You've been playing games with people's lives for decades in your quest to regain power! You don't know us at all, or you'd know exactly what we're capable of doing to traitorous bastards that attempt to endanger our family, friends, and mates." _They expect mercy? After what they've done? They never gave mercy to anyone in the past. They expected us to risk our lives to fight their battles without even knowing it. They expected many of us would die in the attempt to destroy the Volturi. Yet they think we should go easy on them, give them a quick and painless death?_

_Ha! Aro will be here soon to read their minds and discover all their little secrets. Of course they want to be ended quickly so Aro won't have all the answers, won't know who else is working against him. _Peter realized.

"The Volturi killed my mate and have left me to suffer without her for over 1600 years!" Stephen roared, thoughts of his mate and her death filling his mind.

"The witch twins killed my mate 1200 years ago! I have been waiting to see those little demons burn for centuries!" Vlad screamed, memories of her and her death haunting him.

Bella stepped forward and said, "End it, Major. They've gone mad from being forced to live without their mates for centuries on end, left with only the hope of revenge but never able to attain it."

I wondered what she was thinking. Was she feeling pity for the Romanians, like most of the crowd were? The majority of those gathered were thinking about how that much time without one's mate was likely to drive any vampire crazy. Many wondered if perhaps the Romanians were simply trying to avenge their mates and weren't trying to regain power after all. Looking down at my Vicki, I understood what could drive a vampire to attempt to kill his mate's murderers, before seeking death himself. _If someone were to take her from me, I would end them before ending myself. But would I keep trying even for hundreds if not thousands of years if I were unsuccessful. Perhaps. I don't think I could rest knowing they were happy and living the good life while my mate was ashes in the wind by their hands. _

Many of the crowd are thinking along the same lines I am, particularly those who are lucky enough to be mated. _We only get one chance at this. _I pulled my mate closer to me, hoping I never had to feel the horror and pain of losing her.

Jasper and Peter each received phone calls and came over to join us. Even though they were whispering, we could still hear Aro and Caius on the other lines.

Ignoring the crowd, I concentrated on Jasper and Peter.

_Excellent! Aro will be here in a few minutes, read the Romanians, weed out the remaining traitors, and this will all finally be over and done. Then I can have some good quality time with my mate_, Jasper thought eagerly as he issued his report.

_Something's not right. What is it? Stupid knowing shit! What good is it to know something bad is about to happen, but not know what it is? I need to alert the Major. We need to be on guard. _Peter worried, even as he spoke calmly to Caius.

Before I could comment on his thoughts, I heard a whoosh and smelled burning vampire.

_Fuck! Shit! That's it - too fucking late, damn it! _Peter mentally howled.

Jasper yelled. "Fuck! Who did this_?" I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill him. After I torture him._

Tanya was mentally whimpering, _Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!_

"Why? She was just finishing what you started," Irina snapped. _What's the big deal? Why is he so mad? What difference does it make who held the torch? They were going to die, no doubt about it._

"They weren't the only ones leading this conspiracy," Jasper growled. "Aro was planning to use his gift on them to find the rest of the traitors." _But now he can't, thanks to Tanya. Did she know? Is that why she did it? Was she in on it?_

Tanya cried, "I'm so sorry, Jasper! I didn't know! Please! I thought you were planning to burn them and didn't want them fusing themselves back together while you were distracted with other things. I was trying to help! Honest!" She thought about the pile moving, the parts trying to reattach themselves, the suffering in the ancient vampire's eyes, wanting it to be over, not wanting to watch, to see, to be part of torturing them, to deal with it any longer. Wanting it just to end, deciding to act, to take care of it, to finish it.

Jasper looked at me. _Is she telling the truth, Edward? I can feel her fear, regret, and sorrow, no deceit._

I nodded grimly, sending him my understanding linked with just a hint of doubt, so he'd know I thought she was likely being truthful, but couldn't be certain.

_I understand. Aro will use his gift to search deeper. She won't be able to hide from him if she's lying_, he thought back. "Aro will be here in two minutes, Tanya, so you'd better hope for your sake that your thoughts were pure, and you don't have anything to hide," he warned. _I hope for the Cullen's sake that you're not in on this. I don't want to feel their emotions if somebody else they've considered family has been working against them all these years. _

"That's why you kept their heads!" Carlisle quietly murmured. _Aro's gift must still work on the heads, because the brain is still intact, where all the memories are stored. I wonder how long the memories can last without venom in the tissues. Oh, dear. I hope Aro finds all the information he needs in the minds of the others. He will not be happy in the least to have lost the opportunity to find out all the details of the Romanians plot against him. He can't be certain he has all the players without seeing everyone whom they've contacted. What if there are others who haven't arrived yet? What about the double agent within the Volturi? The Romanians would've known how to work around Alice's gift. They would've been smart enough not to entrust all the pieces to any one individual, just in case that person got caught by the Volturi. I'm sure this is only one part of the plan. I'm sure they've got their bases covered in other areas as well, along with contingency plans. Oh, yes, Aro is going to be very displeased indeed._


	30. Debriefing Continues

**Debriefing Continues**

"I did listen to Aro's thoughts while he scanned each one of the heads, but I don't want to talk about it, unless anyone has specific questions," Edward informs the group. He shudders. "James was an absolute nightmare. He made Freddy Krueger look like a saint. I don't want to relive his memories ever again, if I can avoid it. Unfortunately, most of the heads came from people he had trained to be sadistic like him, monsters who tortured humans and other vampires for fun, who enjoyed beating and raping human women and children before drinking from them.

It was severely traumatic to see the things they'd done, and I tried to compartmentalize their memories, barely looking at them and not experiencing them for myself. It was a waste of time too, as there was nothing useful to be gleaned from their memories. Nothing we didn't already know. Even Aro was disgusted and very thankful that the Whitlocks had stopped them.

The other vampires were all victims of James's abuse. They had gifts. Some had been brainwashed through severe torture into being loyal to him, with the mindset of young children or even animals, unable to think for themselves at all. Others had been kept in pieces, buried underground, for so long they were simply ticking time bombs, ready to mindlessly attack anything and everything. All of them were so broken by the things that had been done to them that they weren't stable enough to be kept alive and had to be destroyed. It was awful."

"What about Alice?" Rose inquires.

Edward sighs, "Alice went crazy in the mental asylum. I don't think she was crazy before she was sent there by her father to keep her from reporting that he had killed her mother in order to be free to marry someone else. However, the things they did to her there, the abuse she suffered at the hands of the doctors and orderlies, the shock treatments, ice baths, mind numbing medications, and other 'cures' she was given, as well as being locked in a small padded cell alone, half-starved, and never seeing the light of day slowly drove her insane, with only her visions to keep her company.

Max was slowly helping her to recover after he started working there, shielding her from the abuse and the treatments as much as possible and helping her differentiate between reality and the visions in her mind. If he'd had more time, she probably would've made it back to sanity, but time ran out before she got there. She and James were planning to turn on the Romanians after the Volturi was defeated and kill them too, so the two of them could rule over the vampire race together. She didn't know Marcus was working with the Romanians though, so she didn't have the answers Aro was seeking either.

The worst of it was seeing how she really felt about us, those of us who had considered her family. I suppose she loved us in her own way, but it was like the love for a pet or a favorite toy. She saw us as put on this earth to serve, protect, and entertain her. She had no remorse for the way she treated us, for manipulating us. She considered herself a queen and felt she had the right to use us and anyone else for her own purposes."

"I'm glad I ended her then," Rose growls.

Esme buries her face in Carlisle's chest. His eyes are pained as he wraps his arms around her, holding her close.

"Would you mind continuing from after Alice was burned then, son?" Carlisle asks gently. "I think we'd all like to know what Marcus was thinking."

Edward winces, but nods and continues.

**EPOV**

"Carlisle!" Aro called. _Damn it! I refuse to simply slink back to Volterra and wait for the traitor to start all over again with nothing to show for my troubles than the deaths of a bunch of idiots I could've had destroyed nearly a century ago!_

"Yes, my dear friend?" Carlisle responds_. I don't think this is going to go over well for my family. He's going to want to take Edward with him to constantly monitor the thoughts of those in Volterra to try to catch whomever was working with the Romanians. _"It is a pleasure to see you again, despite the circumstances of our meeting."

He offers his hand to Aro, who takes it greedily, sorting through all of Carlisle's memories since he left Volterra. I find the ones of him treating my parents and me for the flu fascinating. He'd shared bits and pieces of them with me in the past, but not to the level of depth Aro saw. I got to see the entire mental argument Carlisle had with himself in deciding to change me. I also saw how much it had truly hurt him when I went off on my own.

There were so many things Carlisle had kept to himself over the years. I was able to see better than ever how much my gift didn't show. There was so much more to Carlisle's decision making process and his concerns about my wellbeing than I'd ever known. Plus, there were so many private conversations with each of my siblings dealing with many different issues. I realized once and for all how little my gift showed of what really went on in a person's mind beneath the surface.

Aro was fascinated by Carlisle's memories of the shifters. He was curious to know more and amazed by the friendship that developed between Carlisle and Ephraim. It went even deeper than I had known, something that was starting to no longer surprise me.

Aro was just delving into Carlisle's memories of our most recent move to Forks, when we all heard the sound of ripping metal. I flung out my gift quickly to determine the source of the threat, worried for my mate, despite feeling her standing right beside me.

_Why can't I feel her bonds? No! Why isn't anyone protecting me? How dare she? Who . . . Aro will rip her to pieces and . . . Fuck! This hurts! FUCK SHIT DAMN! OWWWW!. . . . Oh, shit! . . . . What the hell is __**that**__? Ew, dog slobber! Gross! What the fuck? Did that wolf just turn into a naked man? Is that a . . . oh fuck! Where the fuck did he get a fucking lighter? Noooo! . . . . ._

I saw through her eyes that it was Bella ripping off her head and wondered why she would do such a thing. _Was she trying to get us all killed? She just attacked one of the Volturi guard for no apparent reason! Did she think Aro would just laugh it off as a newborn mistake? Or was Chelsea in on it? Was Chelsea the double agent?_

As soon as Aro realized what had happened, he screamed, "Noooo!" _Not Chelsea! Anyone but her! This could ruin everything! I've got to get her back together immediately!_

Carlisle is startled, but contemplative. _Chelsea? Was she the double agent? She's one of the only people who could've been. _

Jasper is shocked and afraid. He clearly wasn't informed of Bella's plan. _Bella! What have you done?! Why?! How will I protect you? Aro is going to want your ashes!_

I'm thankful for Peter's gift, as it gives us both some insight. _Chelsea has been creating false bonds of loyalty to Aro, for you, Char, and Jasper, for the majority of the Guard, for the brothers, and even for the audience here. She's been secretly binding all the gifted vampires present to Aro, at his behest. She wishes she could rule in his place, binding all the vampires to herself instead, but because she can't, she rules through him. He gives her whatever she wants in exchange for the use of her gift, which is the only thing keeping him strong and in control. Through her gift, she has made you, your mate, and the Major, as well as many others, slaves to the Volturi, unable to choose whether to serve or not. Bella has just set all of you, as well as the brothers and the Guard free to think and decide for themselves._

I'm startled and thankful for Bella's quick action, knowing she has set my mate and me free as well. I can't help wondering how she knew, though I had no idea what the results of that one action would be, the far reaching consequences.

Max was approving. _This was the only way to stop her. The only weaknesses to her gift are the inability to break mating bonds and the inability to bond anyone to herself or her mate._

Renata, whose mind has been placidly full of Aro this entire time, suddenly jumped away from him. _What the hell? This bastard had been using me as his puppet for centuries! Never again! I'm out of here! _

She dashed away as fast as she could go, her only thought to put as much distance between herself and the Volturi as possible. I could hear the wolves see her and begin to give chase, only to forget about her and start running in the opposite direction, stopping and shaking their heads in confusion after a few yards.

_No! My shield! _Aro grabbed for her, only to turn around and take a few steps in the another direction. _Fucking shield! I'll never get her back without Chlesea!_

He looked around, noticing the facial expressions of the Guard, many of whom were looking around them in anger and confusion. _Oh, no! Not the Guard too! I've got to get Chelsea back now!_

It was finally starting to dawn on me how shaky Aro's hold on everything was. I was horrified by Renata's revelation of being used against her will, considering how complacent her thoughts had been as she moved and stood with Aro the entire time she'd been here today. _That could've been me! How many of the Guard were duped like her, forced into a bond of loyalty without their knowledge or consent, their will subverted, turned into mindless servants and puppets willing to die for a man they didn't even like? _Remembering Carlisle's thoughts, I realized with horror that it **would** have been me.

Aro was about to issue orders to Jane and Alec to take down Bella before she could do any more damage, then find Chelsea's head and restore it to her body immediately, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Marcus appeared and slapped him.

_Finally I can avenge my mate! _Marcus accused, "I hereby accuse you of murdering my mate Didyme, your own flesh and blood sister, in cold blood. The law demands your life as forfeit for your crime! You will now fight me to the death without assistance from anyone."

_Shit! How did he know? Nobody saw! _Aro whimpered, "No, how did you . . . . No, it wasn't me! You have it all wrong!"

"Lie!" Maggie of the Irish Coven yells. "He's lying!"

The thoughts from everyone were overwhelming.

_Aro killed Marcus's mate? _

_Aro murdered his own sister?_

_Why?_

_If he would do that to his own flesh and blood, what wouldn't he do?_

_How can we trust someone who'd do something like that? _

_What else has he done?_

_What else has he been hiding all these years?_

_Lying, murdering, power hungry bastard!_

_Aro must die!_

I saw the encounter in Marcus's memory as he explained, "There was a nomad who came to Volterra nearly two centuries ago who had the gift of seeing the past. She showed me what really happened to my mate. Max had showed Caius and me how to work around your gift and hide certain things to keep the balance of power equal between the three kings.

Unfortunately, there was no way to work around Chelsea's gift that kept me from being able to attack you or leave you, not even allowing me to end my own existence. Her only weakness was that she could not create false bonds to herself, only between others. She had to rely on you to keep her safe and provide for her every whim, which you gladly did in return for her services.

She wasn't expecting to encounter a mental shield though, someone who would be unaffected by her gift who would know what she could do and realize the danger she represented. Thanks to Major Whitlock's new mate, we are all free to make our own choices, our loyalties are our own again, and you will now face justice for the crimes you've committed while believing yourself invincible and above the law."

I realized Marcus was the double agent. He had approached the Romanians, though never in person, giving them information and hoping to take down Aro, even if he couldn't do it himself, thanks to Chelsea's false bond of loyalty. He worked around the bond as much as he could, never able to attack Aro directly, but subtly undermining him whenever possible.

_I can't believe Aro killed Didyme. Not even I am that ruthless. _Caius thought. _Everything is falling apart. Look at the Guard. I thought they were honored to serve the Volturi, but I can see that was all a lie. How many of them were only with us because of that witch's false bonds? Too many. _

Marcus froze, a victim of Alec's gift, unable to see, hear, or move, though his thoughts continued. _Alec, that little shit! How dare he interfere! _Suddenly all of Marcus's senses were restored just in time to dodge Aro's attack.

All hell broke loose then, and I stopped trying to monitor everyone's thoughts. I was worried about keeping my mate safe from the fighting. Seeing the way Athenadora took out several of our friends in her crazed attacks, I was glad Vicki and I had retreated behind the crowd. I wasn't taking any chances on losing her, especially after seeing how much it affected Marcus and the Romanians to outlive their mates.

Some of the former Guard who ran got away, but most of them were taken out by the wolves in the woods. Corin was able to escape, as she used her gift to render the wolves content to let her go.

Finally the fighting stopped, and all that remained are those seated here today.

**xxxxxxxx**

"Any questions?" Edward asks, looking around the room.

**xxxxxxx**

**AN:** So, any questions?


	31. Answers

**Answers**

"Bella, how did you know to kill Chelsea? How did you know she was enslaving us all with her gift?" Edward asks you.

You sigh and admit, "Well, you know about the whole Oracle thing, about how I just know certain things, knowledge that came to me when I was human, right?"

He and several others nod, while those who hadn't been aware of it before look at you curiously. "One of the things I knew was that Aro was the one who had killed Marcus's mate. I also knew Aro used Chelsea's gift to bind Marcus so he wasn't able to commit suicide, forcing him to stay part of the Volturi all these years. I knew Aro had a pattern of about every century or every other century attacking a coven that contained gifted members he wanted for his guard. He would come up with some reason the coven deserved to be destroyed, then invite the gifted members to join them. Some came willingly, others were forced to join. Chelsea would cut the gifted vampires' bonds with their coven, then bond them to Aro instead. I felt like Marcus deserved the chance to avenge his mate, but knew he'd never be able to do it while under Chelsea's influence."

"Ya did great, Darlin'," the Major purrs in your ear, letting you feel how proud he is of you. "I didn't even know the bitch was manipulating me."

"Why couldn't you feel that the bonds were false?" Emmett wondered. "Couldn't you tell the feelings weren't real?"

Jasper frowns and shakes his head, feeling disappointed with himself.

Max interjects, "That's because the feelings were real. The bonds were developed under false pretenses, but they functioned like the real thing. Once the bond was in place, we each felt the loyalty created by the bond, the kind of loyalty we feel for those we love and trust. We didn't have any reasons or life experiences to justify those feelings, so our minds would create ones to fill in the gap. Each of us would develop our own reasons within ourselves to make sense of the abnormally strong feelings we had and would pull from our own personalities and characters to do so."

"I was convinced I was serving the greater good, serving my kind like I had served my country. I was protecting innocent civilians from becoming casualties of war, pursuing justice, fighting evil, and preventing the coming to power of evil dictators, tyrants who would overthrow the current government and misuse their power to enslave us all," Jasper muses. "I believed the kings wanted what was best for our kind and were trying to be fair and just, with laws that were for our benefit, as well as for the benefit of humankind. They seemed so much more understanding and forgiving than Maria had been, offering up fair trials and second chances. It never occurred to me it was rigged - that only the gifted and their mates received pardons, and even then only for the price of serving on the Guard. Though, of course, it's obvious in retrospect."

Peter frowns, furrowing his brow. His eyes sharpen and he growls, "Char and I wouldn't have been pardoned, except Chelsea was unable to break our bonds to you, Major. It wasn't just mating bonds she couldn't break. She couldn't break any type of love bonds, including sibling or parental love. Unfortunately for vampires in general, bonds involving actual love of any kind, whether familial or romantic, are extremely rare. Because she couldn't separate us, Aro knew it would devastate you if Char and I were put to death for our supposed crimes. He wanted you enough to spare us and had us all bonded to him, knowing you would be grateful to him for being allowed to keep us."

"Guess it's a good thing we interrupted our honeymoon to go back and rescue his ass from Maria then," Char teases, trying to lighten the mood.

The Major lifts an eyebrow and smirks at her challengingly.

"What? I was a newborn and five years of nothing but sex and blood, having my mate all to myself, without worrying about anything else, wasn't nearly long enough," Char laughs.

Jasper rolls his eyes and snorts. "Yeah, I remember what it was like living with y'all before I had to go hook up with the little psycho."

"Only five years? My Rosie and I took ten before we were fit company for anyone else," Emmett brags.

Edward shudders, muttering, "Don't remind me. As far as I'm concerned, you weren't as fit for company after ten years as you thought you were. I would've been more than happy for you guys to take another ten or twenty years to satisfy your sexual appetites for one another before moving back in with the rest of us."

"Oh? Are we going to be shooting for 20 to 30 years of nothing but sex and blood now that this is all over, Edward?" Vicki purrs, running a fingernail down Edward's chest. "I can support that."

His eyes quickly darken and glaze over as he stares down at her, no doubt seeing some pornographic material in her mind starring the two of them. He groans and whispers, "Whatever pleases you, my love."

She smirks, pleased with his response.

You look up at Jasper, not to be outdone. Fluttering your lashes and sending him a ton of lust, you pout, "How come I only got two days and everyone else gets two decades?"

"Don't worry, Darlin', two decades is nothin'. I'm man enough to keep you out of your mind with pleasure for over two centuries if you want. I'm sure nobody'll miss us too much if we're gone that long," he purrs, his eyes full of promise.


	32. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It had taken the vampire world years to recover from the loss of so many of it's previous leaders and to work out a new representative governmental system that was practical and effective. There were problems initially with tracking down and informing all the covens and nomads that hadn't been present for the confrontation of how much things had changed in a single afternoon. It was hard for many of them to believe and some tried to take advantage of the appearance of anarchy to take power for themselves, only to discover the hard way that the new democratic government was fully capable of dealing with power hungry madmen intent on ruling the world.

It was still agreed upon by the new government to keep the secret of the true existence of vampires and other supernatural beings from the human world. After all, nobody wanted the humans to develop the weaponry to destroy vampires, which they would if they knew there was a real threat. There were, however, certain exceptions now.

Telling a human was no longer an automatic death sentence for either the human or vampire involved, though death was still the penalty for any vampires who exposed themselves carelessly or recklessly and for humans who couldn't be trusted to maintain appropriate confidentiality. However, if a vampire had the control and wanted to maintain contact with his or her human family members after the change, those family members could be entrusted with the secret, provided they were trustworthy.

Also, if a vampire found his or her mate in a human, that human could have the choice of living out his or her life as a human, being changed only if or when the human desired. It was extremely rare for a vampire to find their mate still human and rarer still for the human not to be changed either immediately or shortly thereafter. Still, it was a possibility, and now that certain key people had been made aware of the existence of hybrids, the law had found its way onto the books.

Thus, you were able to tell Charlie the truth about what you had become. He was shocked to learn about vampires and shape shifters running free throughout his otherwise normal small town. He confronted Billy upon learning that his best friend had been hiding all this information from him and was gradually able to help Billy get over his small minded prejudice toward vampires. Not wanting to lose Charlie's friendship, nor the love and support of his own children, Billy learned to put aside the harsh words and ideas his own father had drilled into him since he was a young boy. Forced to spend time with the you, the Cullens, and the Whitlocks in close quarters for extended periods, if he wanted the company of his best friend and his own children, he was soon able to make informed decisions and choices based on his own experiences rather than unreasoning hatred and spite.

As much as you hated the delay, you and Jasper delayed leaving for your honeymoon until after you graduated high school, giving Charlie time to get used to the idea. Each couple went off on their own then to reconnect with their mates for a decade or so.

After they came back together, the Cullens and Whitlocks had then gone to South America, looking for Joham. While amazed by the children he had produced, the ladies were all disgusted with Joham's disregard for the human women he seduced and impregnated and with his lack of interest in his children until they were several years old, when he deemed them capable of interesting conversation.

It turned out Nahuel wasn't the only one who felt guilty about 'killing' his mother. It was a trait shared by his siblings. Once they found out the truth of what their father had been doing and the way things could have and should have been, with their mothers being turned into vampires at the moment of birth, joining them in eternal life to love and care for them forever, they turned on their father, ripping him to pieces.

The Cullens had taken the hybrids under their wing, teaching them to love and respect human life, encouraging them to partake of human food and drink animal blood. They brought the hybrids back to America with them and enrolled them in college.

Upon spending time interacting with humans on a daily basis, it became clear to the hybrids how wrong their father had been. Joham had taught them to consider humans inferior, as nothing more than animals. With help from the Cullens, the girls soon realized that in order for a vampire to be mated to a human and for humans and vampires to be genetically and sexually compatible enough to create life together, the idea of humans being inferior was a fallacy.

The eldest of the hybrids, Serena, upon hearing the story of Jasper and you, expressed her willingness to attempt a surrogate pregnancy. She had raised each of her sisters herself, since Joham had abandoned them into her care, and was curious what it would be like for a hybrid child to be raised by two loving parents. She knew her body would be tough enough to handle the growth of a hybrid baby without becoming drained or mutilated, and the baby would be delivered via C-section before it needed to rip its way out of her uterus. After much discussion, you and Jasper happily decided to accept her offer.

The other Cullens and Whitlocks were beside themselves with joy and excitement, not only with the possibility of a new baby, but with the possibility of other future surrogacies granting them children of their own if the first pregnancy went well. Of course, they decided they would purchase eggs from donors that closely matched the physical characteristics they had as humans, so the resultant babies would not only look like their mothers as well as their fathers, but so there wouldn't be any question in anyone's mind as to the rightful mother of the child. Egg donors, like sperm donors, were already a regular part of the human world, receiving on average $1000 or more per egg, since the process of retrieving the eggs involved a surgical procedure. Like sperm donors, egg donors signed over any and all rights, which also absolved them of any and all responsibility, to children produced from their genetic material, and the eggs were then used for in vitro fertilization.

Carlisle matured several of your eggs in a special hormone broth, then fertilized them with Jasper's sperm. Unfortunately, for some reason mature eggs couldn't be frozen for future use, like eggs still in the ovary and fertilized eggs could. Carlisle froze the extra fertilized embryos, only implanting one, not wanting to take the risk of a twin pregnancy which might be too hard even for a hybrid's body to handle. The very first embryo attached successfully, growing at a rapid pace, as expected.

Serena was given donated human blood to drink, as well as food and vitamins, to maintain her health and strength. You kept a careful eye on Serena, remembering the horror of what the original Bella had gone through, but Serena didn't waste away, bruise, or suffer broken limbs. Other than the speed with which the baby grew, Serena's pregnancy appeared as normal as a human's.

**xxxxxxx**

Finally the day of birth has arrived. Serena had opted to be unconscious for the birth, not knowing whether or not an epidural would provide sufficient anesthesia for her kind for something as painful as abdominal surgery. Carlisle performs the Cesarean using a scalpel he'd made out of vampire teeth for just this purpose.

As soon as he breaks through the amniotic sac, a tiny fist punches the air. Everyone gasps, waiting with baited breath as the hand is pulled back inside and the baby's head starts slowly pushing through the opening. You and Jasper step forward, ready to welcome your child into the world together. Once the baby's nose is clear, gorgeous baby blue eyes pop open, staring at your smiling faces. The rest of the baby's head slides out, revealing a sweet smile. Carlisle carefully helps out first one arm then the other, pulling the baby the rest of the way out smoothly.

"It's a boy!" you squeal joyfully.

"My son!" Jasper purrs, reaching to take him from Carlisle. He holds the squirming, messy bundle while you clamp and cut the umbilical cord. Carrying him over to the waiting baby bathtub, you and your mate cleanse your son together, washing away the blood, venom, and other birthing fluids, while Carlisle swiftly removes the amniotic sac and stitches Serena back together.

Once he is clean, you carefully dry him off and wrap him in a soft blanket, carrying him over to show the rest of the family. Rose eagerly hands you a metal sippy cup full of fresh animal blood she and Emmett had thoughtfully prepared. The baby happily accepts it, drinking it down without pause or protest. You hadn't wanted to start the baby off with human blood, just to transition over to animal blood at some point, remembering that Renesmee had been resistant to the change, so you're thrilled that he's satisfied with the animal blood.

"What's his name?" Esme coos, gently stroking the baby's tiny perfect fingers.

Looking right into his eyes, you point to yourself and say, "Mommy."

He smiles and gurgles, showing two rows of perfect little teeth. Holding him to face Jasper, you look at him expectantly. Jasper smiles and meets his son's eyes, then points to himself and says, "Daddy."

Once again, the baby grins and gurgles.

"He definitely recognizes your voices from when he was still in the womb," Edward gushes, hugging Vicki tightly. She smiles lovingly up at him, knowing he now wants to have a baby with her as soon as possible. "He loves you both so much already!"

"I know," Jasper chuckled. "I can feel it."

Cradling your son, you then point to him, declaring his name, the name you and Jasper had chosen together. His eyes light up with understanding. Reaching with his left hand, he touches your face, while his right hand reaches over and brushes Jasper's cheek, burbling, "Ma! Da!"

His hands fall back to his chest and he mumbles out a truncated version of the name you just gave him, demonstrating his grasp of the concept.

"Yes! Good boy! Oh, Jasper, he's so smart," you enthuse, beaming proudly.

"Of course he is, just like his mother," Jasper smoothly replies, hugging you both and saturating you with joyful emotions.

Feeling complete, you proceed to introduce your precious child to the rest of his family.

**xxxxxxxxx**

**AN:** Yes, I know, I didn't tell you the baby's name. That's because you, the reader, are supposed to be Bella, so you should have the right to name your own son. Lol.


End file.
